RISE
by DarkShadowRin
Summary: Tsuna wakes up with Reborn's gun against his head (that in itself isn't noteworthy). It is not the Reborn he knows. Or rather, it is a Reborn who doesn't know him.
1. Chapter 1

Tsuna jerked awake, eyes snapping open as his HyperIntuition blared. He was seconds too late.

"If you don't fancy your brain matter splattered on your pillow, I _highly _suggest you don't move."

He felt cold grip his heart.

The voice was familiar, no matter how little of it he'd actually heard compared to the higher, squeakier voice of his tutor. Heck, the gun against his temple was familiar.

The killing intent weighing him down, the genuine menace in his tone, the cold glint in those black eyes, that- that was unfamiliar.

"R-Reborn?"

Reborn -the fedora, the suit, the curly side burns, the dark smirk playing on his lips, it was unmistakably the adult Reborn he'd glimpsed during the Arcobaleno Representative Battles- raised an unamused eyebrow at him, confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

...Tsuna's stomach dropped.

They heard running outside his door. Tsuna flicked his eyes to it in horror, praying that it wasn't his family however very unlikely that was.

Reborn -this Reborn- was the last person he'd want any of his family to be near.

He wasn't entirely clear on the _why, _only that he knew that fact bone deep.

A yank on his collar -his tutor was hardly careful with him but he was never this harsh, rough yes, never harsh- had him choking and flailing. His back hit the man's solid chest and the cold of the gun barrel never lifted from him even once.

The door opened with a bang and the usual liveliness of his family. It was abruptly cut off with the sight of a man that was very clearly the adult Reborn holding the Vongola Decimo at gun point.

"Juudaime! Reborn-san, what-?!"

"Hush."

Silence. Hayato, Takeshi, and the three kids were frozen stiff in the doorway. Maman must've told them to wake him and Reborn up.

Reborn barely glanced at the children as they cowered -even the usually rambunctious Lambo- and Hayato and Takeshi immediately hid them behind their larger frames.

"W-what do you want?" Tsuna blurted out to get his attention on him and _not his family._

Reborn shot him an amused look.

"I thought at first that when you said 'reborn' you might have just been telling me your last wish or perhaps your hopes in the afterlife. But clearly, that's somehow me. Other than that, I know I'm in Japan when just not a few seconds ago I'm with the others in the living room that is _not_ anywhere near Japan. Oh, and also you're a Sky and three of those are your elements." He smiled at them, eyes dark. A click of the safety.

Takeshi inhaled sharply and Hayato gritted his teeth, mind whirring for _something_.

"Mind filling in the blanks?"  
_

"This is like BDSM. This is like BDSM, right? I'm not exactly clear on that. What do you think perverted old man? Though wouldn't that also technically be paedophilia-?"

Squalo knew, both from the memories from the 'future-that-will-never-be' and personal experience, that the younger Fran had the tendency for word vomiting when scared or anxious.

But this _really wasn't the time._

The Varia Boss and his officers were nailed to the living room walls separately in an imitation of life sized portraits. Or in Fran's case, hogtied to the ceiling.

In the centre, looking up at them (maybe) was the adult Mammon. Or rather, Viper.

"...mou, you are fortunate I abstain from hurting children." They intoned unfeelingly.

...He didn't know that but that actually made sense. He was still alive after all, even after almost ten years.

_Bel _was still alive even after almost nine years of the bullshits he'd pulled.

"So I can just keep sassing here?"

"VOOOOOOI! SHUT UP YOU FUCKING BRAT!" Squalo screamed irritably though was silently glad that Fran was visibly starting to calm down.

Mammon- Viper, smiled. Small and kind and out of place of his image of them.

"There is such a thing as mercy killing. It is quick, painless, and will manage to shut up annoying smart mouths."

There was no malice. It was said in almost good-humour.

If not for the fact that there was _absolutely nothing _-no emotion, no presence, no scent, no other noise but what they themselves made that echoed and _echoedandechoed_ in the silence of the rest of the world, fear and doubt gripping his heart and his mind was threatening to blur between reality and dreams of what should've been- he might've thought they were just teasing; like those nights spent stressing over the budgets because he was fourteen and how should he know shit about bills and such and fuck it how were they supposed to raise Bel without Boss and Mammon wrestled the responsibilities from him and _taught _him how to do it so that when they're no longer there Squalo can support the Varia on his own properly but fornowfornow take care of yourself-

"...Don't mind him! He's new!" He growled, because the others had their mouths literally sewn shut.

They moved their head to him and he could practically feel the weight of their attention. There was really no wonder why Fran was breaking down.

"I already told you how you got here. The fuck else you want?!"

"...I can't simply take your word for it." Their lips curled again and they shook their head as if chiding a child. "Rather elaborate and far fetched."

Squalo heard the mocking and sarcastic tone to the words.

"I don't have time to waste, so if you're not lying then I'm sure you won't have any problem looking into my eyes?"

Squalo didn't know what they meant, but he didn't have a good feeling about this. Their smile widened.

He decided he really didn't like it when Viper smiled.

"Don't worry. It wouldn't hurt you if I don't want it to."


	2. Chapter 2

"You will talk and I will listen. I'm going to ask, and you're going to answer."

Kyoya gritted his teeth but nodded once.

Kusakabe had been carelessly tossed to one corner of the room, unconscious. Everything else was left undisturbed, but under the low table on the porch overlooking the tranquil garden of the Hibari estate, his legs had been crushed and he had been forced to sit across the pleasantly smiling man while cradling his broken arm with his other, sprained, one.  
_

Iemitsu kept his face unreadable while staring down the woman on the other side of the gun, steadfastly ignoring the panic brewing in his gut.

She was not the one facing the barrel.

"You must understandably be confused. I can and will answer your questions but I need you to put down the gun first. You're scaring my co-workers."

As he said, Basil and the others looked both torn and determined.

If things escalated, he had no illusion as to which side will win -even with the hundred CEDEF officers behind Basil.

Lal narrowed her eyes at him. Then she pocketed the gun.

Iemitsu grinned, "Right, you want coffee or milk?"  
_

Holding a sports drink he'd filched from someone in one hand and his rifle in the other, he drank the sights of the unfamiliarly familiar Mafia Land.

Gawking, his hand shot out to the side, grabbing a random passer by.

"Wha- ow! Hey!"

Japanese. Effortlessly, he switched to the tongue.

"Where are we, kora?!"

"What? What do you mean where are we?" the man was older, bulkier, and was scowling at him.

He let out a trickle of blood lust to urge the man.

"Mafia Land! We're in Mafia Land of course!" he screamed at the deceptively smaller blonde.

Yeah, that's what he thought.

Right. So.

He licked his lips, mouth dry and dread sitting comfortably on his shoulders.

"..._When_ are we?"

The man didn't think much of the question anymore and just answered, frantic to escape whoever the man decked out in camouflage print was.

Letting go of him, the ex-COMSUBIN soldier was left looking wide-eyed at the far distance, mind reeling.  
_

The room was filled with the rhythmic beeping against a hologram keyboard. The light from the screens reflected a glare on a pair of round glasses and the green eyes behind them closely studied the files fluttering through the screen.

"Right. The trackers on them should still be serviceable..." He muttered.  
_

"-and that's the extent of what I know." Emma smiled sheepishly, nibbling on French fries, "Sorry I can't help more, Skull-san."

"What? No, you helped plenty enough." He reassured the younger boy, tearing a bite from the hamburger.

"Really, I'm lucky someone so nice was with me when I... um, forgot? Yeah, let's just call it that. Someone nice _and _can speak English. I don't know a bit of Japanese -can't speak it, can't read it- would've been lost all on my own."

They were in the window seat of a McDonald's and they idly watched cars and the people go by. Enma had just finished telling him what he knew of Skull's circumstances.

"What are you going to do now, Skull-san?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm going to find my Family of course. I mean, except for Viper, none of the others of this 'Arcobaleno' names ring a bell but by what you told me of their personalities, they must've just changed names."

"Ah, Reborn-san is the nearest then. I can bring you to Tsuna-kun if you want." Enma smiled.

Even though Skull forgot, the Simon Boss was glad to note that he didn't change at all and that they still get along just as well, maybe even better.

"Really?! Thank you! You're the best Enma. I'll be sure to treat you next time when I have money on me."

It was such a nice day for making new friends.


	3. Chapter 3

"-and then I just woke up and you're like that..." Now that Tsuna was finished summarizing what little he knew about everything that had led to this, he realized that it sounded rather... improbable.

If someone had told him that a year ago (if anyone had told him about what had become of his everday life a year ago), he would've asked what anime they were talking about.

He couldn't help but feel like a bug under Reborn's blank stare.

Those bottomless pits of frozen abyss...

But he kept his back straight, gaze meeting his. Because Lambo, I-pin, and Fuuta were in the same room and he instinctively knew that he just _wasn't _going to show any hint of weakness with them and Hayato and Takeshi at risk.

Reborn blinked.

Leon crawled from his shoulder to the brim of his hat.

"So I'm your tutor?"

Tsuna felt hopeful that he seemed to choose to humour him for now at least and not immediately start shooting.

"Yes."

"...And you're telling me, that Viper is an officer of an assassination squad -the Varia specifically. And that Skull is part of the Carcassa Famiglia?"

The narrowed eyes belied the blatant disbelief at that and made Tsuna almost hesitate. But something told him that that would be a very bad idea if he wanted to convince Reborn that they should be let go alive.

"Yes."

"...who the hell is the Carcassa even?" Reborn demanded in disgust. Then without waiting for a reply, he pushed himself off the floor they had taken seats on, and smoothed down his suit.

"Bring me to the others. I don't care which one." He ordered abruptly.

Tsuna briefly floundered before he began babbling, "Oh! I don't really know how to find Verde-san or Fon-san, and Mammon-san should be in Italy I think but Skull-san shou-" "_Viper."_

Everyone startled at the sharp tone.

Tsuna waved his hands, "Yeah! Yeah! Viper-san! It's just that they're always insisting to be called Mammon and doesn't seem to like Viper-"

He registered his hyperintuition warning him too late.

"_What did you say?"_

His eyes had turned flinty and though he'd lowered to almost a whisper, the frigid quality of his tone didn't actually help.

Babyfied Reborn was already scary enough.

Adult Reborn was absolutely terrifying.

"H-hiiiiiiiie?!"

The older man shot him a glare, then suddenly stepped back, tilting his hat to shade his face. He breathed in deeply.

_"... you are accusing Viper __of deserting us?"_

Tsuna really didn't know what to do here. He knew he was missing something big and didn't have any hope to even start navigating the metaphorical mine field.

Backtrack. He needed to backtrack.

He gathered every little scrap that he was worth and in the most even voice he could manage, said, "I am not accusing anyone of anything. As I said, the Arcobaleno were really mysterious people. No one knows what actually happens among them, so you'll just have to ask the-"

"Tsu-kun! Your Papa called and he wants to talk to you!"

"... I, I should get that." He squeaked weakly. "Yes, Mama!"

He didn't know where the sudden bravery to turn his back on Adult Reborn came from, but he did, dragging his friends and the kids out and down the stairs.

"Juudaime-"

"Tsuna-"

He left them by the kitchen table and snatched the phone from his mother, "Thanks Mama."

He had a feeling he knew what this was about.

_"Tsu-"_

"Help! Reborn can't remember anything -well, anything after the Arcobaleno curse, I think- and he's an adult and he's really dangerous!" he shrieked quietly.

_"...same situation here with Lal, though at least she agreed to stop training a gun on me. Tsuna, do you know what to do?"_

He opened his mouth to say _no, of course he didn't know what to do, _but just as quickly snapped it shut.

Now that he'd put distance between them, he was much calmer and could actually start thinking.

"Y, Yeah, I do. I think?"

...how that could convince Iemitsu, he didn't know? _Tsuna _wasn't convinced with himself.

_"Good. Because no one but you can handle this. And I mean that in more ways than one. We don't have any people there but Reborn."_

Which should've been enough for any other kind of threat to his life but incidentally, no one ever accounted for _Reborn_ ever being the threat.  
_

Renato was actually a lot calmer than what Tsuna thought.

He was also a lot more murder-y. Because that was what Renato did when he didn't know what else to do.

He flexed his hand unconsciously, inclined to believe what he'd been told so far because it might explain (some kind of Flames sucking curse) why he was feeling as if his core had just been recently gouged out but was now steadily but very slowly recovering?

That sensation running up and down his spine was what had him bristling and in a hostile mood.

He stared at his hands, mind turning.

Luce _betrayed _them.

Granted, he shouldn't take some random brat's word for it -the boy himself had admitted he was an unreliable source. He also repeated, multiple times, that _no one _was a reliable source when it came to the Arcobaleno except for the Arcobaleno themselves -the 'Arcobaleno' who were apparently Renato's family.

The fact that _Luce, _of all people, betrayed them -knew what she was going to do from the very beginning, _had been basically leading them on this whole time-_, that was unbelievable.

But combined with the fact that she'd supposedly done it for the rest of the world- _damned _them for the rest of the world... somehow that made everything a lot more likely.

Rage, hurt, confusion, and a very tempting urge to deny reality warred in him but he easily shut himself to it.

He'd accidentally snapped at the boy -Tsunayoshi, who was his closest lead to unearthing whatever this was that he'd somehow managed to land himself in the middle of- and he needed to calm down. Clear his priorities.

Check on his family.

Skull, specifically. The others could take care of themselves better than that kind idiot -including Viper who was the youngest of them.

Speaking of which...

_Mammon._

...check on all of them first, gather if possible, then they could wade through this mess they (it occurred to him that maybe it was only him -_Luce was dead, _and there was no guarantee the same supposed amnesia happened to the others_-_ but he swallowed the bile that rose with that thought and swept it aside) found themselves in, together. As a family.

Pulling his sleeves up, he began tinkering with the multi-purpose watch secured around his wrist.  
**_**  
**In Canon, we see Mammon fit in quite well with the Varia. And yet, the Arcobaleno were shocked to find them there.**

**Assuming that they would've searched for them when they'd 'died' -maybe because they care or just because of the Arcobaleno balance and all that- then they must've searched in all the places Viper was most likely to be in.**

**Which means Varia would be the last in the list -Or not even ****_in _****the list because I'd think someone like Viper would know how to hide well. So we see Mammon who's Varia, but who was Viper? The one no one thought would be in the independent assassination squad of Vongola -the strongest Mafia Famiglia at least within Europe.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Apologies for earlier."

Everyone in the room turned to Adult Reborn, hands raised in a sign of peace.

Silence.

"...Ah, d,don't worry about it. I understand, really." Tsuna hesitated, "You've been there for me through worse."

The others were silent, watchful of him. Reborn gave him a long look then with movements just a tad slower than normal, took a seat farthest away from the kids.

An appeasement. Or a peace offering? He wasn't sure.

Awkward silence.

He snorted, raising an eyebrow, "Worse than even waking up to a hundred years in the future, learning your own Sky was a traitor, and you and your family are scattered across the continents with no knowledge if you even have them to count on because you're not sure if they're even the same people and you haven't just been dropped in a parallel universe?"

Tsuna opened his mouth. Closed it.

Hayato crossed his arms, huffing and grumbling, "Right about that parallel universe part."

Takeshi laughed, "It's more common than you'd think, huh."

"Ho?" He raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Oh, hello! Tsu-kun didn't tell me that we have a guest."

Before Tsuna could even get a word out, Renato stood up and executed a smooth bow, briefly taking off his fedora.

"My apologies ma'am. I didn't send notice. My name is Renato Sinclair, an associate of your son and Reborn-kun's older brother. Reborn-kun felt home sick and I'm taking over his job for now. I hope I'm not intruding and sorry for this abrupt change."

He gave a winsome smile, looking suddenly much younger without his hat on.

Tsuna blinked, poleaxed.

Nana laughed, waving a hand reassuringly, "Don't worry, I like having people over and meeting Reborn-kun's family is so great. Reborn-kun has always been so well behaved and polite, you must've done a wonderful job raising your baby brother. And you even have the same fashion sense, he must idolize his big brother!"

Renato chuckled modestly, "No, no. Reborn-kun has always been like that, I barely did anything really."

"Do you want to drink anything Renato-kun?"

"Ah, if you wouldn't mind I'd love some coffee."

"Waaah! So cute! Reborn-kun always orders the same too. Just wait here, I've already had some ready for Reborn-kun I'll get it for you."

The air around him was a thousand times lighter and for all intents and purposes, he seemed genuine.

Tsuna shivered.

A complete 180° from the hit man who'd just been a squeeze of a hand from killing them in cold blood. It was eerie!

Renato turned back to him, but his eyes bypassed Tsuna and looked straight over his shoulder.

"Kufufufu~, what an interesting turn of events."

Tsuna choked on a shriek, jumping. A pair of hands held him in place though. Mukuro!

"W,what are you doing here?"

Heterochromatic eyes glanced down at him with sadistic mirth. And, Tsuna thought, he detected pensiveness in the tightness around his eyes.

"I'm sorry Juudaime! I was the one who contacted him!"

"Gokudera-kun?!" You had his number?! Tsuna was more perplexed by that.

When did _that _happen?!

Mukuro -and Chrome, standing a little behind him with the kids (Tsuna had unconsciously put himself between Renato and them)- stared at Renato strongly.

Tsuna was feeling nervous about this.

The kids and Chrome disappeared.

"It is your fellows you seek, right?"

Reborn watched them silently. Mentally, he hummed in approval at both the Storm and the pair of Mist's actions.

"What family did you say you are?" Tsunayoshi had mentioned it earlier, and anyone who'd walked the halls of the Vongola mansion with the life sized portraits of the first generation would know. Renato really just asked for the sake of asking.

"Vongola."

The Sun noted the steel gradually seeping into the boy now that the others were gone.

Willing to bow to others whim for his family. And willing to fight with them.

...Huh. Better than Renato's first impression of him honestly.

He commended his future/past self for teaching a student like that.

"I may have information about your Storm." Mukuro cut in and pointedly diverted his attention off of Tsuna.

Renato lost all humour.

"You do?" Tsuna exclaimed.

The bluenette grimaced slightly but ignored him. "The south from here, go straight. Now if you'll excuse us."

Tsuna was swallowed in a cool indigo that had his heart easing from the stress the morning had provided him.

Only for it to return ten fold when he was met with the battered and bloody body of the resident demon prefect lying on a couch in the -Tsuna saw the pictures on the walls and realized that they were in the Sasagawa household. Ryohei was by Kyoya's side, tending to him.

"What happened?!" he demanded.

"Who got the drop on him?" Hayato, with Lambo in his arms -a rare sight- asked warily.

"Do you need any help senpai?"

"No, thanks though Takeshi. It's almost done." He didn't even look up at them.

If that was 'almost done', then it didn't look like it. Tsuna felt nauseous just imagining what Kyoya must've looked like before Ryohei got to him.

Tsuna turned to Mukuro.

"...the Arcobaleno Storm did that to him."

There were exclamations._ Fon__?!_

"What?! Why?!"

Mukuro scoffed, learning on the wall by Chrome, "I wouldn't know. I was actually just... dropping by when I happened upon him being pummeled to the ground by the adult Arcobaleno."

Tsuna swallowed. "B,but why would Fon-san-?"

"Juudaime if I may?" Hayato cut in quietly. Lambo and I-pin sat dociley on his lap in the corner and both Fuuta and Takeshi sat close.

"I think we should stay here for the meantime," he glanced at Ryohei, "Or at least somewhere we could be together. I know it might be hard but... they're not the Arcobaleno we know. Not the Reborn-san... Anyways, we need the Mists right now. I don't think we can even put up a fight against them if they turn on us again. We need to... hide."

Hayato had said so many things that must've been hard to swallow much less voice out, but rather than looking hesitant, he looked determined. Tsuna felt warm.

And proud.

_This _was his Storm. His right-hand- he cut himself off, inwardly shaking his head and feeling exasperated at his thought process and the successful brainwashing Reborn had pressed on him.

He wasn't a right-hand because Tsuna wasn't a boss and he was proud because his friend beat down his pride for them.

"I think so too."

That seemed to surprise the bomber.

"Onii-san, where are the girls?"

"I extremely sent Kyoko to Haru-chan with Hana!"

"Chrome-chan, can you bring the kids there? Mukuro-kun," Reborn would've never hurt Nana, but as Hayato said, this was not Reborn, "Please pick up Mama, and Bianchi-san too if you can. Chrome-chan please keep the others from the house with Bianchi-san's help -get out of Namimori if you can. Gokudera-kun, do you have Shouichi-kun's number? Also please check in with Enma-kun."

Hayato and Takeshi said something to Fuuta quietly and with a ruffle of his head from the Rain, they handed him Lambo and I-pin.

"Yes, Boss." "Fufu, the gall of sending _me _on an errand." Mukuro and Chrome simultaneously disappeared, taking the kids with her.

"I'm on it Juudaime!" Hayato excused himself to make calls outside.

Takeshi headed straight to the kitchen unprompted to pilfer some snacks to go around.

Tsuna watched Ryohei go over Kyoya with Sun Flames and a first aid kit, thoughts gnawing at him.

He recalled everything he'd told Rebo- Renato earlier and knew that he'd been right to not make a single mention of Checkerface.

Tsuna needed to get to Kawahira first.

**If there's any contradictions or grammar problems, just tell me and I'll get it fixed as soon as I can. Oh, and also, there won't be any schedule for the updates. I'm not very good with that.**

**I'll update a couple of chapters at the same time or just whenever.**

**And fanfiction eat lines**


	5. Chapter 5

Renato listened, hearing the silence fill the house.

He didn't get his coffee.

Poking around, he found familiar secret tunnels and compartments (though much smaller) . He knew it must've been his future-past self who had them installed. The clicks and niches were familiar mechanisms and the weapons and paraphernalia stocked in them were his own -though there were new ones but the glazed green delta symbols inscribed on them told him enough.

He also went pawing around at albums, letters, bills, the pantry, etc. to get a better read of the household occupants but without context there was little he could surmise - He wouldn't know if their financial state was good or bad without knowing how expensive or in demand the furniture or the alien gadgets scattered around the house were or even the political climate.

He wrote the name of the mother and son that lived there and pocketed it. He eyed the calendar.

"Let's go Leon." He drew a finger over the chameleon's back, "We shan't make Li Jie and Lichee wait."

Slipping past the steel gate and even graciously closing it behind him, Renato marvelled at the contrast of what he remembered the world to be. Homes were a mix of western and eastern architecture and was it just him but did the air feel heavy in his lungs and the sun too bright? But the differences only really stood out when he came upon what must be the shopping district.

The cars, the buildings with the overabundance of windows and screens (with coloured videos, like what he'd see in the scientist's lab), and the fashion. Almost all the women he encountered were wearing tight fitting pants, short skirts (above the knees kind of short), and some were barely covered -something that reminded him of the ex-COMSUBIN boss with her tendency to wear clothes that wouldn't hinder her movements. Only, certain cuts seemed especially scandalous to Renato's sensibilities.

He'd never visited Japan before (he stood out too much with his obviously Italian looks) but he'd heard things and he'd seen enough of the effects of war to draw an image in his mind. It was far from what was presented to him.

He felt like he stepped into a twilight zone.

He blended in with the other pedestrians (much easier than he expected with only a handful of glances and maybe a few pointing), navigating the direction of the crowds towards the destination he had in mind.

He was four streets away from Li Jie that he stopped in the middle of the street.

The fact that he knew Li Jie was exactly four streets away arrested his scrutiny.

He furrowed his eyebrows, focusing inside him and then reaching out to the tendrils he felt. A shimmer, pale and thin but _there_, and a constant awareness that was faint and just at the edges of his consciousness.

He cautiously swiped at it and he suddenly knew with unerring certainty that Skull was nearby and Viper was the farthest away from him.

This was not how bonds worked.

...another mystery piled up on top of the already existing ones.

"Renato." sounding as serene as ever, the hitman could feel the shared relief thrumming down his bond with the Storm.

_This _was how bonds worked. Sensitivity to the emotional state of the others in your Family, yes. Hyperawareness of their general condition, if they're alive or not- yes.

Bonds were not an inbuilt radar.

They walked into a narrow alley and turned to each other, Lichee trailing after his partner. They didn't make mention of the newfound 'sense' they had. It was information better left to Delta and Viper -the ones with the actual means to figure out the whys and hows and other specifics of it.

"Have you been able to do anything with the DMPD?"

Renato crossed his arms but didn't lean on the wall as he was tempted to because as if he'd actually let that thing touch his suit. "No. It's broken. At least I can't figure it out but maybe Skull would have better luck."

Li Jie squinted up at the too bright sky, "What about Delta?"

He shot him a curious look, "I woke up by the Vongola Decimo," a discomfitting phrase, seeing as he saw Daniela only a few days ago and the woman was spending quality time with the ex-COMSUBIN boss collecting minions and didn't even seem like she was thinking of setting down anytime soon, "and got a crash course to the goings on of the last century. And from what I gathered, we'd have better luck if we just wait for Delta to find us."

"What do you mean by that?" Li Jie looked at him confused.

"So I take it you didn't get a similar welcome. What happened anyways? There's blood on your sleeves."

And he'd seen the Storm get out of a one sided massacre completely spotless.

Said man's smile twitched, "I was attacked."

"I repeat, what happened?"

"He wouldn't stay down." He said breezily.

So I _made _him stay down, was what he didn't say but Renato heard.

Renato hummed before moving on because there were more important things they should be doing, "Let's find Skull. I'll tell you things on the way. Who knows what trouble the lackey's causing without supervision?"

It made sense to Li Jie. They were broke and with little to no knowledge of the time they were in. They should gather as much of each other before going to Italy where Luce would most likely be -pregnant and vulnerable.

He'd trust the others who are in easier reach to guard their Sky in the meantime.

"Funny. It was my exact sentiments when setting out in search of you."  
_

Saanvi knew that her attention was unnerving the people scurrying about like worker bees.

She couldn't care less. If they couldn't do their jobs even with just this kind of distraction then they weren't fit to be in her presence.

So far, no one had faltered.

"Don't worry, you trained them well. They're good at their job."

She looked at the man across her, brimming with Sky Flames (why was it so _loud and bright, _it grated at her) with a smile on his face.

Her coffee was untouched.

It reminded her of Renato that addict and that made her anxious to do something -anything to find her family because Luce was pregnant, Renato caused too much chaos for the good of those around him, Skull was too trusting, Li Jie was no good with social nuances and had the tendency to take every perceived slight as a challenge, Delta was Delta and had no lines he didn't cross if it intrigued him enough, Viper was _way _too nosy for anyone's good, and Alford tended to blast his way through a lot of things. She fiddled with her watch.

Nothing.

"You'll be my benefactor then."

It wasn't brash, but neither was it a question.

Iemitsu didn't sigh.

"Let's make a deal. I know where all your family members are and I can easily get you to them but I need something in return."

"What is it?" she demanded warily.

"I need you to promise me that no harm will come to anyone unless the Arcobaleno were provoked first."

It took her another beat to recall that by 'Arcobaleno', he meant her and the others.

"...only after I make contact with them." That needed to be cleared. She barely had any control over them when they lived in the same house, even less so now that they had oceans between them.

He nodded, "Of course. I'll contact Mafia Land for Colonnello and the Varia for Viper immediately."

Her brows wrinkled, "I'm sorry, but did you say _Viper _in _Varia?"_

"...yes." was all he said, because he'd made it clear that he wasn't going to say more than he needed to without the Nono's permission since quite a lot of things about the Arcobaleno were _very _top secret, and neither did he indulge in his curiosity because he was perfectly aware that it was a thin line they were balancing on.

Saanvi only responded in kind because she'd just get Viper to tell her anything she might want to know later anyways.

"And Luce?"

...Iemitsu was not going to touch that with a ten foot pole.

Though he _should _check on the Giglio Nero later. Who knew what happened to the Sky Arcobaleno with the current state of the elements? Whatever it would be, they'd undoubtedly have their hands full for now.

"I wouldn't know how to contact her." He wasn't lying. How was one supposed to contact the dead?

That made Saanvi only more worried and also comforted at the same time.

Worried because with Delta's communication device seemingly wrecked, she'd have no way of knowing Luce's state. Comforted because if the CEDEF themselves didn't have Luce in their sights, then she's probably as safe asashe she could get right now.  
**_**

**Thank you for your support. I feel warm with the reviews.**

**Tell me honestly those of you who thought Fon was Ooc. And didn't realize that Kyoya had just been in character.**

**Don't worry, the tenth generation are in the same state.**

**I'll try to meet your expectations (not really, because I want this ride to be full of twists and turns you wouldn't see).**

**Next up; Verde, Colonnello (Alford if you didn't catch that), Skull, and Viper.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Reading your comments... sniff, sniff... thank you, I'm so glad for the positive reception. It makes me speechless and so warm and fluffy inside.**

**When you find out something that makes you angry, you don't immediately get angry. First there's the bit of shock, where you process the enormity of it, and **_**then **_**you get angry.**  
**_**

With brisk steps, Delta weaved his way through the masses, eyes glued to his tracker.

He didn't look up, didn't indulge in his curiosity, not yet, because he needed to gather everyone together first and _he drowned whatever emotion could wash him away because Luce was dead and and and, and a lot of other ands, both that made him giddy and apprehensive because they skipped an entire century and there was a reason he burned that accursed time machine because SIDE EFFECTS godamnit (that he admittedly had to learn the hard way after he'd almost destroyed earth)!-_ And damn him because he couldn't focus enough to closely examine exactly what kind of bullshit he'd been dragged into without fretting about what the others were unleashing to the rest of the world. He didn't want to be responsible for the end of the world- recreating it would be a waste of time that could be used for his latest project of- never mind that.

He briefly swiped to the right, confirming that Renato was still with Li Jie and at the very least Renato can keep him from accidentally killing anyone and he in turn could keep Renato from not so accidentally screwing with someone -and some rather vital laws of the universe.

He stopped directly under where the light blue dot was blinking.

Alford dropped from the roof above and landed with cat-like grace beside him. Evidently, the sniper must've seen (Or sensed- another thing he'd rather be puzzling out than be outside in this heat) him from afar and lied in wait.

"Delta!"

The relief was palpable.

"What's happened? Where are the others? Is Luce-?!"

Delta slapped his hand on his face, smushing the blond's features. His own expression was absent of any turmoil that might be happening underneath the surface.

"We need to go pick up Saanvi and the others."

"Right, yeah." Ice blue eyes flickered, "What do you know so far?"

"Tell me what _you _know. I'll fill up what I can." Delta didn't know what to feel that he didn't seem to have a single idea about Luce.

...Well, Delta sure as hell wouldn't be the one informing anyone. It was self-preservation.

Leave the informing to Viper. At least they would have their legendary skills of slipping their way out of practically anything to fall back on.

"Well, we're like a hundred years in the future and I can feel you inside me."

Delta was tempted to hit him for his wording but decided that that would just encourage the blonde. Besides, the Rain looked too introspective to have realized what he just implied.

Delta led them to his ride by the docks.

"I'm apparently the adult version of some baby named Colonnello, a Rainbow -whatever that means- who has taken my post in the Mafia Land. I'd say we travelled to the future and that baby is my descendant but you're always so damn pedantic with time travel," for good reasons, Delta thought in indignation, "that I'm just not sure. Oh, and I also found some baby pictures of the others too -You should see Renato and Skull." He snickered.

He was reminded starkly of why Alford was a Rain. Something in the way he summarized his findings and purposefully stretched his lips had the muscles in Delta's shoulders easing even just a little bit.

...He wasn't looking forward to the near future but at least he had the others with him, in this world that had somehow left them behind.

Yes. Left them behind.

Because looking at the results of the program he'd hastily scrounged up earlier, showed that this wasn't just a simple case of time travel that they could just turn back from (if only it was).

"Delta?" Alford looked at him in concern, stopping a few feet from his jet.

Delta resumed walking, climbed on his jet and waited for Alford to get settled in his seat. They took off.

"One hundred years ago, eight people of great renown disappeared. Five years after, a baby named Fon surfaced in the Triads, introducing the world to the concept of the Arcobaleno who are a set of superpowered individuals in the shape of infants. Three years later Colonnello appeared, claiming his post in the Mafia Land security corps. Then Lal Mirch of CEDEF. Then Reborn, an unaffiliated hit man though is later known for aligning himself with the Vongola. The rest followed after that. It's unknown if anyone made the connection, but it's a mostly forgotten coincidence. A few months ago, it was noted that they gathered in Japan for some unknown reasons, together with some high profile groups."

Alford allowed himself a pause, "...okay. And how did that happen?"

"I haven't had the chance to figure that out, but maybe Viper would've found out something by the time we're done getting the others."  
_

Viper looked at the decrepit building barely visible behind the overgrown plain.

This was a house once.

Half of the roof had crumpled in.

Gingerly, they touched the front door knob only to have the door collapsing under their hands. They flinch. There was a shocked and horrified silence.

This was a home. Once.

A few hours ago, this was the front porch Li Jie had welcomed them home (_bothered _them home, Viper's mental sneer at that was mostly half-hearted), the carpet Skull always trudged some grease in -it never failed to bother Luce-, that mirror Renato nailed to the wall so that he'd always be able to catch a glimpse of himself before leaving, that shoe/gun/knife rack Saanvi always stacked with hers and Alford's weapons whenever he visited (he practically lived with them and they'd fined him for renting a room), the jar they'd put there for everyone to fill in exchange for using the front door- they could even see the rusted remains of what must've been a camera installed inside the hollowed wall. Viper strolled into the living room -completely bypassing Luce's kitchen with broken china littering the floor and that dent in the wall from that time she tried to teach Saanvi, Viper, and Delta to cook- and there was the scratches on the doorframe that Skull and Alford had carved like man-childs to keep tally of who was taller and therefore older because neither knew their exact birthdate. They glanced outside and noted that the spot under the tree that Li Jie favoured to meditate under had long since been buried under the overgrown grass and the tree had become gnarled. There's the shooting/survival range that Li Jie, Renato, Saanvi, and Alford had pestered Delta for. It was mostly just mud, rust, and decay now.

Viper felt sick.

Belatedly, they realized their hitching breaths and a hand went up to press over their mouth, the other finding purchase against the peeling wallpaper.

Right. Breathe in.

Out. In.

...Figures. That their downfall -the eight most powerful people they knew, most skilled, the _Strongests_ out of the billions of people on earth and they would know because they had _paid _the ranking princess for that piece of info- would come in the shape of _betrayal _among their ranks. From their _Sky _of all places. Was this karma?

They had no delusion as to what kind of people they chose to call family. What kind of person they were.

There's only silence. Not even the sound of crickets.

So different from the loud, bright den that it should've been.

This was no illusion.

Wiping the suspicious dampness from their cheeks, Viper straightened and quietly admitted to themself -rather bitterly- that perhaps for once, they'd actually lost a gamble.

And the sad thing was, when they'd put their faith in this group, Viper had felt that they had never been more sure before.

Shows that no one's perfect.

They turned and walked back out.

(_Later, _they'll deal with that later when all the more urgent things in their to do list had been checked out.)

With the Sky absent, the next person in command would be the right-hand, i.e Renato. Who's in Japan with the Vongola Decimo if Squalo Superbi's (another can of worms they'd rather open _later) _memories were accurate.

Renato would gather those nearest to him, Delta could track and pick up the rest.

It was Viper everyone would be expecting to have the answers in hand and that was what they were going to do. Find answers.

They deliberated where to drop by first between the Giglio Nero, Checkerface, or Vindice (just to cover their bases).

(And because they were probably masochistic -Skull rubbed off on them-, they decide the Giglio Nero.)  
_

"I'm so sorry for troubling you like this, Yuni."

Byakuran plopped a marshmallow in his mouth, watching the two interact.

The girl smiled, eyes sparkling in the same way any little girl's eyes would when they're looking at the heroes of their bedtime stories.

"It's the least I can do. Mammon-san is coming, what are you going to do?" she asked worriedly.

Luce smiled wryly, "Hide. Now is not the right time for me to cross paths with anyone, not yet. It's only fair to give them the time to adjust," She sipped the tea cradled in her hands, _Li Jie's was still better, _"I had years to brace myself for this. A few weeks -months- is the least of what I owe them."

"Aren't you just scared though?" Byakuran piped up.

Yuni frowned at him.

She smiled self-deprecatingly, "Oh, I am. Undoubtedly. Undeniably. I am terrified of them. Not only for our life, but I don't think I can face their hatred so soon. At least a part of me doesn't actually care about their mental state and is just procrastinating."

"Don't say that grandma. You do care for them." Yuni insisted.

"You can also just act as if nothing happened, I'm sure if you do it early enough, those who currently know will be willing to brush it under the rug and the others wouldn't even need to hear about it. You can't underestimate a person's will to keep the quota around. It'll just be something you'll laugh about years later."

Yuni gave him a _look._

Luce smiled, a hand resting on her stomach. She ignored him.

"Not enough to repay their own regard."

She leaned over the table, cupping the younger girl's cheek.

"I'll leave for now, but know that we are proud of you -of what you have become and what you will be."

She didn't need to elaborate on who she meant by 'we'.

While Yuni revelled in that, Byakuran smiled to himself, consuming his tenth marshmallow in the last five seconds.

_It was about time something interesting happened. He should go hang out with Tsunayoshi for a front row seat._

_**Endendendendend**_

**I just realized that I put this in K+. WHICH IS SO WRONG BY THE WAY, BECAUSE I'M PLANNING TO DO THINGS WITH MIST FLAMES AND-**

But maybe I should dial nightmare fuels back now that I'm thinking deeper at it BUT THATS JUST MAKING ME THINK OF MORE HOLY SHIT HELP! I'M EDITING THIS IN 3 IN THE MORNING AND SONEONE JUST BROKE THE BOTTLES OUTSIDE AND THAT BETTER JUST BE SOME CAT!


	7. Chapter 7

Skull burst out from the people pressed together spilling out of the train, hyped.

They had ridden a taxi, and then the train. Before, if he'd wanted vehicles with such smoothness and effortless power he had to make it himself, but now it's pretty commonplace that it's literally mass produced.

No one ever allowed him on any of Delta's neat rides out of missions so Skull had to learn to be content with the things he'd picked up from fellow automobile lovers but now, there's the esteemed internet Enma explained to him. There's_ YouTube _and the sky's the limit!

He couldn't wait to get his hands on it.

He laughed maniacally, Enma blushing furiously and chuckling uneasily behind him as people stared and Adelheid looked unimpressed.

"...What are you doing Skull?" Li Jie inquired mildly.

Emma and Adelheid flinched in surprise and Skull shrieked.

"If it has anything to do with world domination, you're on your own lackey. Paperwork is part of the job."

"That should not be the reason for abstaining from world domination, Renato."

"And what should be?"

"Because its bad." Li Jie said in the same manner one would explain anything to a sociopath.

"Killing is too, Mr. Assassin."

"Indeed. But you as the world ruler is in an entirely different level kind of bad completely." He declared genially.

"Li Jie! Renato! Guys!" His arms went in wide arches, people swerving away to avoid being clipped.

Renato looked at him flatly. "Idiot. We're literally right in front of you."

"It's nice to see you well Skull. And your friends?"

"Oh! Oh!" Skull grabbed Enma's hand, "This is Enma Kozarto of Simon! He's my friend. And this is Adelheid. She's Enma's friend."

Enma smiled shyly, "Hi, Reborn-san, Fon-san."

Li Jie tilted his head. Renato had briefed him of what his host had relayed to him (why didn't Li Jie get someone thoughtful like that too, he deserved it more than Renato didn't he, he was nicer), so he knew that was his future-past name. This was the first time he was addressed by it though, "Wind. Like in my title 'Feng of the mountains'... I like it." He mused to himself.

Renato grabbed the back of Skull's leather and corralled him out of the station and somewhere less busy, dragging Enma with them as Li Jie and Adelheid trailed after.

"So, making new friends are you? Wanna explain to me why you're in the Carcassa."

Skull blinked blankly. Then he glanced at Enma in question.

"I'm in the what?"

"I think I mentioned it earlier? You're the battle strategist of the Carcassa famiglia. You joined after an 'unfortunate circumstances of an epic loss and heroic sacrifice of the great Skull-sama', you told me."

"Battle strategist?" Skull repeated vacantly.

"Even I was surprised." Adelheid muttered.

"So, lackey?"

"Eh? How should I know?"

Renato clicked his tongue. Li Jie watched the frustration simmering just beneath. He frowned.

He'd noticed that Renato had been... disturbed. And irritable. Snappy. And this in turn worried the martial artist.

None of what he'd been told so far seemed the likely suspect to unnerve the self-proclaimed chaos personified himself.

...He didn't like the sneaking suspicion he had that he hadn't been told everything. But he respected Renato, so he'd give him a chance to confess whatever it was before Li Jie actively tries to pry it from him.

"We'll figure it out later, Renato. Together with the matter of Viper." He placated.

It also troubled him to know that their two youngest (according to Alford and Skull's agreed upon height rule that Skull was _still_ grumbling about ever agreeing to) had supposedly renounced them -it was even presumed that Viper had sworn fealty to another Sky.

But Li Jie was determined to take things one at a time. And there was no use speculating when the people involved were gone ( there was a disconnection between this Fon person -an indifference really- and himself).

"Right!" Skull chipped, "So what are we going to do now?"

Renato slanted his gaze to him, "What else? We're broke and we need money to get anything from Viper. So you're going to get a job."

"What? Why only me?"

"Because I doubt you'd want to join us clean up some local gangs around for pocket change."

"...No one's going to hire me in this clothes."

"Vongola refuses to assist you?" Adelaide said incredulously.

"I never got the chance to ask before the boy's guardians removed him from my presence." He shrugged.

"What did you do?" Skull demanded, crossing his arms and immediately assuming the worst.

Renato looked at him innocently, "Waking up to someone pointing a gun to your head isn't so bad, is it? You get used to it. I mean, I always wake up to that." Because it was fun to let them think they got one over him and then busting their heads a minute later.

Enma's eyes widened, "Is he alright?!"

He raised an eyebrow at the irony of him asking Renato that, "Of course. And don't give me that look, Skull. Li Jie is worse. He has _blood in his sleeves. _The fact that it's stained must mean that it must've been some beatdown."

Skull look horrified, and the other two with him realized the implications, "_Who did you kill?!"_

"I didn't kill anyone," Though it was a close thing, Li Jie admitted to himself sheepishly, because it's not like he was ever ordered to rough up people. Li Jie was an assassin. People like him were only hired to kill and he never had the need to try and control his strength until he gained his family and Luce and Viper were fragile.

It was still a work in progress.

Control. Discipline. The one thing, and perhaps the _worse _thing he could fail in as a martial artist as his _sifu_ always reminded him, he reminisced with no small amount of nostalgia. (But that was okay, he was an assassin anyways.)

"...Adel, we can spend some for Skull's clothes at least, right?"

She pursed her lips.  
_

If Tsuna was an ancient (pseudo-) God, where would he be?

He obviously wouldn't know, as he hadn't come upon Kawahira yet. Not in any of the places in Namimori that sold ramen, at least.

He'd given it a token effort before he just had to give up and do the one thing with a sure fire way to get a hold of Kawahira. Also the last thing he'd wanted to do.

Ask the Vindice.

From Reborn, he knew that they weren't taking their sights from the Earthborn, just biding their time to gather strength and waiting for him to give them some kind of justification to attack and exact their vengeance.

"There is something to be said about your guts, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro told him.

Yes. Something was to be said about his guts; it was in knots (and not the good kind he'd get around Kyoko-chan, either) and he was pretty sure it was eating itself with how nervous he was.

"If it helps Tsuna," Takeshi said. "They might know what's wrong with Reborn-kun and help him remember."

"Don't call him '-kun', you idiot." Hayato muttered.

...It both helped and didn't.

Ahhhhh, Tsuna was torn about this whole thing. He was wary of Renato, yes. He wouldn't trust him with his family anytime soon, but... But.

Just but, because how could Tsuna bring himself to entirely drop it. Drop Reborn, Renato. Did Dino even know what happened?

Anyways.

"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun, you stay here with onii-san and Hibari-senpai."

They blinked, "You're going all alone, Tsuna?"

"Impossible Juudaime! At least bring me along!"

Tsuna shook his head, "I'd rather not accidentally start anything. Bringing Mukuro-kun would have the excuse of transportation but more than that might provoke them or something."

Mukuro, of course, took the window of opportunity to meet some kind of quota of riling up people, "Even Tsunayoshi sees my supreme superiority. What's next? Perhaps I'll be trusted to become the Vongola diplomat." That was one of the worse ideas Tsuna had ever heard, "Or even," he clapped as if receiving a eureka moment, "the right-hand."

Hayato cursed him, Takeshi laughed, Mukuro said something again, Hayato cursed him some more- Tsuna liked to tell himself it was just their special brand of 'see you later's and 'be careful's.

Before it could escalate further, he pulled Mukuro away, waved the other two goodbye and then with a flair of Mist Flames, they were gone. And on the front porch of Vindicare. The Mist Guardian had casted some kind of warming charm (or something like tricking his body to produce more heat) so he was cosy enough even under his way-too-thin-for-this-weather sweater.

Then Tsuna was hit with a realization.

Was he supposed to _knock _on the Vindicare front door?

He paled. He looked at Mukuro in askance. The older boy didn't even attempt to hide his snickers.

"How should I know? It's not like I ever had to get in through the front door. We have a special relationship you see, I'm usually escorted directly inside."

Tsuna didn't think this through did he? Well, there was nothing more to it.

Knees quaking and with the urge to curl up in himself like what Shoichi usually did, he slumped. If Reborn was there, he knew he'd be told something along the lines of 'a mafia boss should stand by his course of action and go through his decisions' before shooting at him. Or kicking at him.

...his line of thought was making him a bit depressed.

But it did serve to get him moving.

Tsunayoshi Sawada was going to knock on the Vindicare front door.

Something was really wrong with that sentence.

He steeled himself one more time -taking strength from Mukuro's watchful presence behind him- before taking a step forward.

**No one has said anything yet, but just in case you're worried, this will not be one giant pile of angst. There will be humour (my best attempts at it because this is still KHR and that's one of its best charms) and fluff of course. I want to show you that despite all their oddities, and no matter how dysfunctional they may seem, they are still a family (yes, that includes Luce).**

**(And then I'm going to break all the feels that comes with discovering what happened in that century long blank and how their relationships right now, came to be what we saw in canon. Because I'm mean to my friends like that.)**

**And to lecthor; oh, yes. Of course he would be. But as you might be noticing, the Arcobaleno are setting aside a lot of things for the sake of numero uno priority. Things you think they might've missed (and things they **_**did **_**miss) will be shelved and inspected closer later on.**

**To ilovecartoonsgirl; Colonnello means colonel, and Lal Mirch is an Indian spice going with the theme of basil, oregano, etc. So I just figured it made sense that they must've changed their names.**

**I'm a bit unclear with Bermuda. I **_**want **_**to include him but his situation is way too confusing. **

**I always look forward to your reviews, thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think of this story.**

**Oh, and also, for those who are interested, don't worry, Chrome-chan and the others will not be forgotten.**

**They're not completely safe after all**.


	8. Chapter 8

It was a year long contract.

The conditions were as tight as they were vague; not a word gets out and they would have to live under the same roof as others and the client for her safety. The pay was as big as the risk. For their calibre, they practically breathed missions like this.

It hadn't rung any warning bells.

Even after they discovered that there were six of them and the client was a Sky -seven, a notable number in the Underworld. Li Jie was the poster boy of Storms -there was nothing his Flames couldn't burn. Skull emanated Cloud Flames like only someone who didn't even know what they were could. Viper was rumoured to be a Mist but they knew how to distribute lies and twist hearsay that no one could be quite sure. Renato was notorious for never letting a single witness escape so it was a toss up if he even was Flame Active (The greatest hit man, a _Sun, _who would've thought). Saanvi was Flame Active -there had been too many eyes on her when she had founded COMSUBIN and led them through wars in the background like phantom agents back when it was yet to be official- but it wasn't disclosed which one (the thing about flame aspects was that there were preconceived notions for each of them, and Saanvi was clearly not someone you'd put in a diplomatic position rather than a leading one). Delta was too much of a recluse for anyone to be able to gauge him by his personality alone.

(Nothing stood out to them at that initial meeting)

The main assignment was to get Luce of the Giglio Nero to a place called the Tri-ni-sette shrine, an island as lost and veiled from the world as the ancient city of Atlantis was.

They were given a whole year to establish team dynamics before they set out on the perilous journey and -and everything Checkerface had fed them just made complete sense.

There was a Sky, and then there was your Compatible Sky, just as there was a Compatible elements and bonds.

Luce was not their Compatible Sky. But as their luck would have it, they were a Compatible set of elements.

That was when Alford entered the picture, Saanvi's twin Rain.

Even if they had wanted to deny her, reject her -something they forgot to even consider- it would've been difficult to shun Luce as she gathered them and nurtured their bonds, bridging what distance there was left between them (compatible or not they were broken people with too sharp edges and how could they know how to keep those blades from hurting the others when they didn't even know how to keep it from hurting them but they just had to try because _there was nothing else they had ever wanted more than this-_) -and she was the only Sky powerful enough to carry their whole weight as a set.

(And wasn't it perfect. That was exactly what the Arcobaleno curse required. An Elemental set as fixed to each other as possible, and a Sky that was just as easily replaced.)

It was ridiculous coming from such jaded individuals, but they had tentatively believed it to be fate.

(If fate's name was Kawahira.)

They completed the mission, delivered their Sky safely on the peak with nary a scratch and then they were cursed.

Luce looked at them with sorrowful (not regretful, never regretful) and knowing eyes and they stared back into a pair of deep blue.

Renato thought she had _no right._

_Absolutely no right t_o look at them with such pained love.

Skull sobbed, curling in himself, Viper fell to their knees, Li Jie choked on a wail as he stared sightlessly at his hands, Alford was already pulling Saanvi away, and Verde might've forcibly shut down his mind -desperate to prolong the realization that _they had been tricked_

_It was all a lie._

_They had been fooled from the very beginning._

_And in a world of such violence and turmoil, if they couldn't believe their Family to be real, what else would be left to tether them to reality and sanity._  
**_**

**Again, I ****_might _****come back and edit this later. You know how sometimes you write something and you think it's****_ so good _****then a week later you come back to it and can't believe you ever considered it even passable. Or vice versa when something you scratched was actually just ****_genius._**


	9. Chapter 9

Viper managed to hit the door exactly two times before it was opened -ripped open, actually and they knocked on empty air.

"Yes-?!"

The man had been bent over his knees, panting, and then he'd cut himself off when he looked up.

They crossed the threshold, propping their umbrella by the door and the long haired man scrambled back to avoid invading their personal bubble. Viper had taken off their cloak and only their cap and boots had been left of their usual ensemble. The rest had been replaced by lighter, airier -unisex- clothes (their Flames _ached_ something bad and they'd rather not risk casting any cooling spell on themselves with such unstable control).

"... Mammon-san?"

"I'd prefer it if you call me Viper-."

"You're shorter than I-" he blurted out before being cut off again. Not of his own doing this time.

He began choking on his own spit. Or a frog in his throat.

_Viper _wouldn't know.

Not even pain would stop Viper from being petty.

"Maa, see Nosaru-kun, even Viper-san thinks you're so rude."

Viper's spine snapped straight and like sand paper against their bones, they could feel the sky flames. They had to grit their teeth from physically recoiling.

Smiling, someone they recognised to be Byakuran Gesso almost-world-conqueror and the instigator of their future-future-past death (...time travel), descended the stairs.

"This is your fault! What the hell did you do to me?!"

Byakuran sighed dramatically, then smiled with his eyes squinted, a hand over his chest, "Don't blame other people for your lack of filter. It hurts me so. Right here."

"Is there even anything in there." He muttered, before stomping away, still grumbling, "Yuni-sama is just too nice..."

Viper absently noted their tendency for Japanese suffixes.

"Welcome to Yuni-chan's humble abode! How may I, resident moocher, help you?" He greeted in an overly cheerful manner.

"...I would like to meet the Giglio Nero Boss."

"Right this way then!" he waved them over and Viper resisted the urge to trudge their feet as he led them deeper into the building.

"I got this neat truth serum from my friend -Shoichi-kun, you know him?- And I accidentally dropped it into some select dishes that Nosaru just so happened to be taste testing," they weren't asking, they didn't care, and they just wanted him as far away from them before they get a migraine, "Yuni-chan's been expecting you by the way."

Viper nodded, eager to get to the girl where, hopefully, the man would leave them alone. They caught glances of portraits of previous bosses and idly named each one in their mind (was that Aria? right after Luce's, she grew up pretty, and her hair-), distracting them from both the unnaturally searing Flames beside them and the burn in their lungs.

They never had the most durable body or the most adaptable immune system, it was literally their weakness, and the pollution in the air wasn't doing them any favours. Not even a day in the future, they already wanted back to the past.

(Was it childish -cowardly- of them that it wasn't just the heat that had them wanting it so much?)

Then a flash of red eyes that housed an eternally burning fury, scars against dark skin, curses, rough screams, knives and guns flashed in their mind.

And a part of them only wanted to run back to a more familiar, softer (steely with resolve and determination and a whisper of_ protectprotect __that perhaps they had mistaken to be for them-)__, _Sky, while another, the part that had eventually led them to a life as an information broker, was being drawn closer by their curiosity and an unnatural fondness that shouldn't have been there if only they could stop thinking about the foreign memories that shouldn't have meant anything.

But the thing about delving into other people's memories (different from just skimming their conscious thoughts or from viewing their dreams) was that there had always been the risk of getting stuck in them. But Viper was the greatest psychic, such trivial complications shouldn't be tripping them up.

If only... If only Squalo Superbi had been a lot less perceptive, maybe they themselves could've pretended to be blind. Maybe they could've purposefully missed what it was that every little thing had eventually built up to.

If only Souls could forget too.

Then maybe Xanxus' flames wouldn't have felt like a familiar song that welcomed and greeted and coaxed and called like a beacon that had been pushed away for far too long. Then maybe rather than Squalo, it was him that they could've exploited with nary a regret.

If only-

Byakuran threw the door open, "Yuni-chan, look who I brought!"

And all thoughts screeched to a halt because ow! They could hardly be blamed for practically throwing themselves away from the door with the two skies blasting Sky Flames and almost deafening their metaphorical ears as if Saanvi and Li Jie were duking it out in a metal room with all the clanging and banging. They would know. That actually happened.

What was happening?! What was wrong with these skies?!

Viper instinctively cupped their ears and withdrew their Flames deeper into themselves, hissing at the pair though that really did nothing to improve their situation. Byakuran and Yuni exchanged grim (Yuni) and knowing looks over their head.  
_

"A Delta and an Alford are on the landing pad of the roof." Iemitsu informed Saanvi who had stationed herself by the door, passively appraising everyone because she was not cleared for any of the work (Saanvi, not Lal Mirch) and there was nothing else to do. Basil had offered her a 'phone' earlier to play with but she had been uncomfortable by the rate that her awareness of her surroundings had lowered and gave it back.

Saanvi nodded curtly, keeping her distance from him. She'd been able to endure him earlier, but as the day got shorter, she could feel what had been just brushes were now scratchy thorns and it unsettled her how his Flames was making her twitchy.

This never happened before. She watched him leave with a guarded look.

Was he doing something? Was something happening to Luce, to the others, that had her so hyperaware of another Sky? They weren't compatible -she'd checked. There was no echoing warmth as she'd heard it was suppose to feel if you'd met your Compatible Sky. Just... it was like an attention seeking annoyance.

There was nothing to pack and she secured all her weapons on her person and pocketed the cash she'd been given and the 'credit card' Oregano had left her instructions on how to use.

It galled her to be essentially some kind of charity case but there was nothing else to it. She'll just let the others know and they'd help her to return the debt two fold. Owing anyone was a very dangerous thing.

"Saanvi!"

The call rang through the air the moment she set foot on the roof and her eyes pinned her twin Rain in his place, "Quiet you! Be aware of your environment, people are working here."

Then she paused.

...What was that? A tingling coming from the two. A pinging actually but she hesitated to call it something so comical.

The pair gave her knowing looks. They'd explain later, when they're out of here.

Saanvi was almost just _done _with the whole day. Too many things to process and too many questions and she didn't like being away from Luce this long in her state knowing that _no one else _was with her.

Then simultaneously, three pair of eyes swerved to the head of CEDEF and he determinedly did not flinch.

Alford took the lead, exchanging a firm handshake with him, "Alford. This is Delta. Sorry if we're disturbing your day."

He hid a wince at the spicy, sharp, barb-wire in the back of his throat. Showing weakness was also a very dangerous thing to do. Whatever was happening to them, they needed to get Delta back in his lab to figure it out and fix them.

Iemitsu waved it off, "It's alright. Lal is one of my employees, I take care of the people under CEDEF. It's the least I can do when you're going through something so confusing."

Saanvi didn't step forward but did acknowledge him, "Thank you. This will be remembered."

Iemitsu sighed, "If you don't mind my asking, where are you going now."

"Japan."

He nodded at Delta's reply, "Your Sun, Storm and Cloud. What about your Mist. The Varia aren't answering I'm afraid."

They exchanged glances.

"...they're moving around Italy, probably investigating." Delta mentioned, blasè in that way you just knew he was purposefully not mentioning something.

Was it odd that Iemitsu, for once, actually felt concern for Timoteo's wayward son?

But no, they were Varia. They could take care of themselves.

He was more invested in _his _son.

"Best of luck then." He met Saanvi's eyes meaningfully.

_Our deal_.

**Guest (chapter 6, April 2); yeah, there would be bonding outside of Arcobaleno/Arcobaleno. They find themselves in a world where most if not all the people they considered friends not Family are either already dead or senile. As brilliant and clever as they are, every era has its 'inside joke's, and silent rules that wouldn't comprehend from outside. Keeping to themselves, as much as they're probably tempted to, is not a viable option. I'll admit, I'm excited to expand on this.**

**Also guys, remember. As much as they can't remember what happened in the last hundred years, doesn't mean that they (their souls specifically, as it was the only part of them that interacted with the rest of the world with their bodies locked away) were completely unaffected. Reborn and Renato are not ****_actually _****different people. They just had partial amnesia. I'd hinted at it with Reborn and now Viper.**

**Their minds forgot.**

**Their Flames couldn't.**

**(Again, this is not edited or reviewed because I'm too distracted for that but at the same time, it's not enough to actually****_ stop _****me from typing this. Funny story about chapter 8; that wasn't what I originally tried to post. So, I have a notebooks app and I just copy paste to fan fiction.**

**So, yesterday I typed it. Finished it. Then I select all -You know, where you use the arrow to make everything blue and press copy?- and then ****_I accidentally pressed delete._**

**I was staring there, dumbstruck.)**


	10. Chapter 10

The sun was setting, painting the sky different shades of red and orange.

So much had happened in one day and if he was being honest, Renato was still grappling to catch up.

Skull's friend had taken them in for the night at least and no one had disturbed Renato since he'd settled on the roof. He knew it must've been Skull keeping his new friends from him.

As much as Renato tried to act normal, everything fell flat and he couldn't even delude himself into thinking that the other two actually bought it. And wasn't that novel.

Renato very rarely failed at anything.

He'd shed his suit, revealing his white polo and the guns strapped to his side to the world. He could hear Skull moving below, and Li Jie was speaking to Adelheid.

Two.

This wasn't enough.

He needed all of them together, knowing that everyone was _alive._

And Renato still didn't know what to think when that included Luce too. And Aria.

Aria.

"Renato?" Skull sounded hesitant. Li Jie was still engaged in a conversation with the kids. He didn't answer.

"...what's wrong? You have an even shorter fuse today."

...They had every right to know. They really, _really _did.

And eventually they would. If it came from Renato himself or Viper or the others or _someone else. _It would be inevitable.

Renato opened his mouth.

"I want some espresso lackey. Go make me one."

Skull's stare burned. But in the end he did as he was told. He didn't even put up the cursory whining.

Renato found himself wishing he did.  
_

_(A __**throb **__in their chest cavity that was so light it was easily dismissed as their imagination.)_  
_

Delta had relinquished control of the jet to the AI to let them rest. They were somewhere over Tajikstan, by the border of China.

Another half day and they'd arrive on Japanese soil.

Alford watched the night sky zoom past, mind quiet and clear. He'd had his fair shares of misadventures. But ever since he'd began seeing himself as one of this ragtag family -Arcobaleno, they say- the situations they'd gotten themselves in were nothing short of absurd.

Taking into account that barely a year had passed since this team had been assembled, the pace which their relationships had deepened was... fast. He wouldn't say unnatural but... rather it was too natural.

Alford had been trained since childhood to manipulate interactions -the right words to say, right things to do- to be able to present himself to the world the exact way they had wanted him to. He was a Rain and his handlers had made great use of it to hone him into the perfect spy. He should've been lies over lies over faces.

Then they sent him to infiltrate COMSUBIN and he met Saanvi.

His Compatible bond.

It was a quick downhill from there. For his previous handlers that was. He'd eliminated them, his fear of Saanvi ever finding out about that bit of his past fuelling him.

And then he'd met his Compatible elements and, well, it wasn't like he could hide anything from Viper.

It was a rocky start, a rocky middle-ground from all sides but they'd made it work with Luce.

He didn't want to lose any of this, any of them.

A curse and waking up with no memories of the last hundred years?

Not easy, but he could handle it as long as he wasn't alone and they were _here with him._

"Alford. Sleep."

"...mhm, night San."  
_

_(The _**_twang _**_that echoed in them was contributed to the stressful day and was lost to the haze of sleep befalling them.)_  
_

Behind the man who'd introduced himself as Trident Shamal, too familiar deep blue eyes watched them through a sorrowful sheen.

She'd brought the Flame doctor too fast for her to not have predicted Viper's reaction to their combined Flames. The man had been in standby.

"-susceptibility to a spiritual pain caused by hypersensitivity to other Skies and heightened awareness of your bonded circle, are the symptoms of," he faltered, not too much, still able to maintain a professional mask, but just enough for Viper to see.

"...Are the symptoms of a Discord. The first stages, specifically. It's going to get worse, gradually."

Gradually. Until what?

If your very soul was torn apart, there really was only one outcome, wasn't there?

"...the others?"

"...they're going into discord too, yes."

How would he know? How could he be sure? But that wasn't important, not right now.

They looked down at their hands resting on their lap. They were sitting on a sinfully soft couch while Shamal had occupied a footrest so that they were more accessible to him.

Viper was a creature of curiosity and greed.

They always wanted to know.

They didn't think they ever wanted this.

"What are the current statistics of Flame Actives?"

"...5% out of a hundred."

A hundred years ago it was 2%. It had doubled.

"How much of those are bonded?"

He scratched his cheek, "Guesstimating... 30%."

40%. Much more than in the past.

"And how much of those are Harmonized?"

"10%. At most."

5%. A baby boom of Skies.

"And the standard deviation of Discorded?"

"Ze-well, one percent now."

...that's right.

Discord was a very, very rare, and very feared ailment.

A successful Elemental bonding was not unusual but neither was it a typical thing to behold. A successful Harmonization that could last, though uncommon was not unheard of.

Discord was a _myth._

Not even something you scare children with to behave.

"...why is it happening to us?"

"... there is a certain point of- when you-" he clasped his fingers together, his elbows in his knees and it looked a bit ridiculous.

"There is a certain point you cross when a bond is close enough, deep enough, that it becomes intrinsically tangled together to the extent that if you tear a single one of it, the whole thing could fall apart spectacularly."

(The higher the rise, the greater the fall wasn't it.)

Viper blinked. They'd admit that they were a relatively close bunch but...

"Something like that can only be achieved through an entire lifetime of a powerful bond."

So why...

He'd noticed their bafflement.

"But the thing is, Mammon-san, you _do _have a lifetime's worth of a powerful bond."

"But I don't-"

"You don't remember, but your Flame_ does." _he pressed onto them.

Luce. Was it Luce?

..or was it- was it them?

No, no. The matter with Xanxus was that he was their Compatible Sky but they weren't bonded so that couldn't be it, right? Would their bond with the others even be affected if they Harmonized?

Viper didn't have enough answers.

"I need to get to Japan."

The others needed to know.

* * *

Kawahira set the bowls between them.

Luce murmured a quite thank you.

They had dinner in comfortable silence.


	11. Chapter 11

Three knocks echoed in the barren frozen land, bouncing between the walls the mountains provided.

Tsuna had half-expected Bermuda and the Vindice to have suffered the same fate as the Arcobaleno but was terribly, _unbelievably, _relieved to find a still child (five? seven?) Bermuda opening the door for him.

Well, you know, right after Tsuna jumped a foot in the air shrieking because Bermuda was still as terrifying as he was months ago.

One, Tsuna couldn't believe that that actually worked but he supposed after rainbow flames, criminal friends, criminal associates, criminal ancestry, criminal father, criminal tutor, criminal secret society with time travel gadgets, criminal island -someone answering his knock shouldn't be the most shocking revelation.

And two, Jaeger's -who had Bermuda perched on his shoulder- first words were a snappy, "About time Vongola Decimo, we've been expecting you."

Tsuna right about turned to goop where he was standing. Who would want to deal with grumpy Vindice?

The very phrase sent nightmares to the worst Mafioso.

Why did this things always happen to Tsuna?

"E,expect me? What? Why?"

"We lost him!" the usually level Bermuda all but snarled.

_HIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE?! Seriously, why him?! _

Tsuna thought that Mukuro must've been a lot closer than he was a second ago.

"Kawahira?" He confirmed meekly.

"Who else, you # /#*$~*?!"

Tsuna didn't get the last part but had enough context to know that they were calling him an idiot.

"Do you know what's been happening with the Arcobaleno?"

"You think?" He hissed.

Tsuna could practically feel the countdown before the two snapped but wasn't willing to back off, not yet.

"What about you? Why haven't you turned adult too."

"Because we're dead." Jaeger deadpanned.

"We-well," it wasn't like Tsuna had prepared a list of the questions he'd ask them and he could feel their tolerance slowly burning, "Do you know how to fix them?"

"Fix what exactly, Decimo? This is what you wanted, didn't you?"

"That is- their memories."

"...their memories?"  
_

Belphegor was flailing, shrieking and whining for 'his Mammy' while Lussuria tried to shut him up. Squalo was probably trying to help but obviously was very clearly _not_ and only adding to the noise with his screaming while nursing his headache. Fran was outright fanning the flames, muttering just loud enough for Belphegor to hear.

Leviathan swiftly refilled Xanxus' glass the moment it was emptied of the last drop and pulled from his lips, the pair completely removed from the ruckus the rest were making

Xanxus had watched Squalo's session with the adult Mammon earlier and had seen him struggle the second the man realized what the Esper had been doing. It barely lasted a minute before they had reeled back gasping and then fleeing the estate, leaving behind Fran and Belphegor to wiggle or burn their way out their bindings and freeing the others while Xanxus straight out ripped himself from the wall.

His palms had been bandaged but that was more out of Lussuria's desire to do something as there was barely any soreness left after the Sun had tended to them.

The Wrath wielder idly watched the amber liquid shimmer as he rolled his wrist.

Seven- _fifteen _years ago, he could still recall he was just settling into the lifestyle of being the Vongola bastard -he's still fucking pissed about that, did they think _he looked ridiculous!_ laughing at him while he walked around with such undeserved pride- when he had his first encounter with a Compatible element. He'd just been starting his lessons -as a Sky and a candidate for the Vongola seat- so wouldn't have known what had been happening at that time before the confrontation had already ended

He'd been exploring the halls then, escaping his nosy (_fake) _older brothers and their annoying (effective and endearing) attempts to spend time with their new baby brother when his Flames had snagged at something. Someone.

With the chill of a quiet night and a darkness with the potential to protect and shield.

It had stunned him, the sudden desire that lunged from him and he could only gawk in awe as whoever they were reached back, called back, sang and grazed a touch- before retreating into itself completely and gently, carefully, nudging him away.

Enrico had found him after, stubbornly keeping tears of frustration and hurt at bay in the middle of the opulent halls of the Vongola mansion.

He'd only felt worse after it was explained to him what might've happened.

(Wasn't he enough? Wasn't he strong enough? -whoever they were had been positively brimming with power after all but Xanxus knew he could do it, could carry their weight and give them a home- why? Why? Why god fucking damnit?!- just the typical after effect insecurity of a rejected Sky.)

He bonded with Squalo two years, five months, six and a half weeks later (it had left its mark on him).

Federico had dropped a careless remark about the Varia and Enrico was going to be Decimo, Massimo's probably CEDEF, Federico was going to do whatever, and Xanxus decided Varia sounded cool so he was going to take that.

Squalo demanded he got dibs on Tyr and Xanxus didn't really care so his (_His!) _Rain got what he wanted and one less arm.

They met Mammon -and Lussuria, the only two who had already been Varia at that time- and for the longest time, until now, Xanxus had believed that it had been their first encounter.

Things happened, Bel appeared on their doorstep like some demented puppy looking to get fed, and Xanxus picked up Leviathan along the way.

He'd had four elements when he finally gathered the courage (not that he had to, because Xanxus didn't need to _gather_ courage but, just, you know-) to Harmonize with Mammon.

It was during dinner, Mammon had been busy those weeks and dinner was the only time they gathered together because Lussuria only cooked at a set time and everyone was too lazy to prepare their own food later, so he had reached out and the Mist hadn't even made the effort to look up.

("Stop that Xanxus.""..." Xanxus, not Boss.)

And since then, the fucking baby had puzzled him.

Because who _didn't _want to Harmonize anyways. And even when they'd made it clear that they had no interest in him they still stayed and still played the role of their patron backer (fairy godperson, as Lussuria preferred).

Then Xanxus woke up from a years-long sleep and they were _still _there.

(It both insulted and reassured him. As if dangling something he couldn't have just an inch from his nose and because someone had been there for his family even as his temper finally bit his ass.)

As much time had already passed though, he never actually forgot what that first Compatible element felt like.

And Viper, unlike Mammon, hadn't been keeping their Flames under wraps when around him.

And he _finally caught them_.

Xanxus drained his glass.

But he digress.

Because Compatible element or not, that wasn't the point.

Leviathan knew better than to refill when Xanxus pulled back his arm and clipped Belphegor's ear.

Silence.

"Pack your things trash. We're going to fucking Japan."

The _point _was, no one retired from Varia. Not alive.

And Mammon hadn't submitted a request for a leave of absence for work.

They weren't going to get paid, that's for sure, and Xanxus was going to drag them back kicking and screaming if he had to.

A jolly ringtone cut through the following stunned silence.

"...Nono, Boss." Squalo grunted, tossing Xanxus the phone.

"_What?"_

**Unedited**


	12. Chapter 12

Takeshi held his smile stiffly, hands raised in front him rather futiley.

"S-senpai, please calm down."

Seething glowing purple eyes stared back at him.

It would have been cool in any other situation. Namely when it wasn't trained on Takeshi.

Call him dense as much as you'd want, but he didn't need HyperIntuition to know that Kyoya was itching to swing his tonfa on someone and unfortunately, the only someone around just happened to be Takeshi.

Ryohei had gone out to buy them dinner because it was already dark and Tsuna and Mukuro hadn't come back yet. Hayato had left after telling him that he'd drop by Nami-chuu because they were still students and he needed to clean things up to avoid people poking their noses during their anticipated hiatus from school.

Takeshi wouldn't have thought of that. Hayato was so smart.

Kyoya's lips pulled the slightest bit over his teeth.

And Takeshi would be sushi wrapper very soon if he didn't do something about _this._

"Hibari-senpai, we were really worried you know. Tsuna didn't leave your side for a _veeery_ long time." The older boy pulled himself up, mangling the backrest with ease. It was such a nice one too, hope mama Sasagawa wouldn't be too upset, "Boxer-senpai fixed your wounds and he went out to get some food -burger, rice burger, for dinner," he cocked his head to the side. Takeshi wisely filtered any mention of Mukuro, "Gokudera-kun checked Nami-chuu to make sure no one's disturbing the peace," close enough. "He's there right now. He'd beat up any troublemakers," because all the troublemakers thought he was a gangster and had the habit of occasionally converging on him and forcing him to deal with them. The light had dulled to a dark grey now, "I-pin-chan is with Chrome-chan, Haru-chan, and Kyoko-chan, and Lambo-kun, Fuuta-kun, and Nana-san."

He blinked sleepy, normal grey eyes.

"...herbivore. Where are we?"

Takeshi laughed lightly, a hand behind his head, "We're at Sasagawa senpai's house. It's already night."

"...hn." He turned towards the stairs, climbing straight up in his still tattered uniform. Takeshi listened to the footsteps leading to Ryohei's room and then silence.

He didn't think now was the right time to ask what happened.

He'd made sure to accost Ryohei and then Hayato in the doorway right after they came back, warning them of the sleeping Dragon above.  
_

For the longest time, the others had always been invincible to Skull. And it might've rankled at him, being less in some aspects than even the resident 'baby' -more so the fact that _he _didn't have the means to provide sanctuary for Viper who'd seen worse things than him, and wasn't needed to protect anyone but himself- but he'd always belonged and whatever dissent he might have was always appeased because, well, those were just small things and didn't actually matter in the end.

He wouldn't allow the darker aspects of a 'typical' Cloud loose him his family.

But there were certain times, when it really stood out to him.

Like right now.

He _knew _they'd stayed up at least as late as he did -maybe even later. But while Skull missed his mouth by a mile and his scrambled egg plopped back on his plate (Adelheid grimaced), Li Jie was greeting the world with a smile and steps so light you'd think Viper themself had treated him to a five-star hotel, and Renato was chugging his espresso with the elegance of a king (both being as equally unlikely -Because none of them was cruel enough to let him actually reign over an innocent kingdom).

The world just wasn't fair.

Really, it wasn't.

"Skull, you look like you didn't sleep." Li Jie prompted with concern, watching Skull nod off over his breakfast.

Rub it in, why don't you?

His usual make up was absent and like the others of Enma's guests, was dressed down to a neutral t-shirt and pants. His eyebags had luggage on them.

"I did-", he yawned, "... before... before bastard woke me up."

"How long?" Renato asked.

"Dunno..."

"What were you even doing?"

"...Research..."

"When did you have time to research? And about what?"

"You know," he waved his hand, "When you were brooding and Li was meditating. I was on the internet." He _finally _got a piece of food in his mouth, "And you won't believe what I found out."

"Don't believe everything you read on the internet." Adelheid piped up.

"Yeah," he bobbed his head then faced his fellows, "Enma let me borrow his phone, I'll show you guys later. It's like a whole other world. _So much _had happened in the last century."

Despite themselves, it wasn't like they could deny that they were curious.

Lichi had Leon on his head while he poked at Oodaku who had crammed herself in the fishbowl on the windowsill.

(They too were different. Much too aware of the world than they used to be.)

Adelheid cleared her throat.

"I'll be the one helping you job hunting Skull-san. And I know all the gangs here and what backing they might have. In exchange, you'll help in the expenses and do some manual work, together with keeping away from our allies."

She was making it as mutually beneficial as it could get. As it was dangerous to owe someone, it was also dangerous to have someone owe you.

"What about Enma-kun?"

"He won't be awake until noon. You and him had actually been off on official business before this whole thing happened."

"Oh..." Now Skull was feeling a bit guilty. They probably didn't even get to finish the 'official business'.

Adelheid herself was in a conundrum. On one hand, they were harbouring the man who'd threatened the life of Vongola Decimo and another who'd most likely gotten in a bout with their Cloud and won. On the other hand, they were helping three Arcobaleno, one being a close associate of the Vongola -close enough they'd trusted him with their last option for an heir.

And the Simon also had a lot to thank Skull too. Though universally acknowledged as the 'weakest' Arcobaleno, he was still an Arcobaleno and had the connections of one. With his help -because Vongola had pardoned them and Enma was close with Tsunayoshi but it wasn't like the rest of the Famiglia was equally forgiving and the power was still mostly with the Nono- they were steadily making their name known in the Underworld as quite the powerhouse. Perhaps not in influence -because grow too much too fast the big names might decide to nip them in the bud-, but they were unique and powerful.

Maybe saying she _was _in a conundrum was a bit misleading. But Adelheid might get into one depending on how Vongola decided to deal with this.

(Because _Enma _would be in a conundrum, and as much as Adelheid would want him happy, she'd prefer him safe and alive even if she has to rip him from his friends to get him out of the way of two much greater power.)

"I'll give you an hour to do your thing, I still need to prepare some things." Adelheid cleared her dishes to the sink inconspicuously.

Renato waited until Li Jie had put aside their washed utensils before pushing back his chair and the two naturally followed him. The haze over Skull's awareness was steadily chipping away with the warmth against his skin. For being a hundred years in the future, it was a nice day.

Strolling through the peaceful neighbourhood, it was a bit odd, to see Renato and Li Jie in such a setting and in such clothes. They wore the same clothes as everyone else, walked the same way, and levelled their voices the same way -and yet they still... not stood out, because they were too good for that, but, rather, they were just separate. Just... different (But when were they never).

"First order of business would be to get our own place. Big enough for all of us."

"What? What about the house?"

He shrugged, "Even if it's still there, it's better to have something to fall back on while we're in Japan."

"Why wouldn't it still be there though?... did Delta make it into a portable house? Why wasn't I told about this!" He exclaimed in affront, because they _always_ kept these things from him. Drive a truck off Mt. Everest _once_, and no one forgets it. (The fact that he'd done it purposefully didn't make him suicidal. Give him some credit people, he was the Greatest Stuntman. He knew what he was doing.)

Renato rolled his eyes, slinking between an empty lot and a lopsided fence. Li Jie barely caught Skull when the younger man tripped on the remains of what once must've been the foundation of a house.

Skull curiously looked around.

The Sun had managed to lead them to the outskirts of the town, a bit behind the residential district, some empty grounds dotted with trees on the borders. He imagined that it marked the barrier to the outside world.

"Why are we staying in Japan?" Li asked.

"Nothing's for certain. But rather than stumbling around it's better if we stay put and wait for the others."

Skull blinked.

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm confused. _We're _waiting?" Renato himself had been the one to enlighten him to certain nuances when it came to roles in a Family that he hadn't been aware of being a civilian, "But shouldn't _we _go to our Sky?"

Setting aside all 'roles', 'lines', 'mantles', Luce was _pregnant. _Making a pregnant woman cross oceans was just not cool no matter how you look at it.

He watched Renato stop, mindlessly tracing the shape of his back with the bold lines and the silently sworn 'I'll protect you' as clear as ever.

"Luce's dead."

Li Jie's grip around his arm was almost painful and Skull's lungs were malfunctioning.

_His ears were too, he could've sworn._

* * *

**Guest chapter 4 April 5: Of course not. This is not a 'one group is BAMF and suddenly everyone is powerless against them' fic. The Arcobaleno are the most powerful people. Seven of them have the skills and techniques that makes use of that ample power to turn themselves into natural disasters of their own right. Skull is (ex-)civilian and would only have a bit more than basic self-defense behind him and wouldn't suddenly know a hundred martial arts style but that doesn't mean he's helpless (far from it). Viper's occupation isn't a confrontational type and I'd imagine money is time and they wouldn't waste their time on fighting if they could just slip away (But they would still know how to fight because you don't survive this long when it's an open secret that you have blackmail on the big names without being well rounded, just not as well as, say, Li Jie -Fon, physically speaking). Delta (Verde) would be someone who'd prefer to stay back and he has lightning flames anyways -The strongest- and that's the epitome of protection. And so on. Spoiler alerts, later, there will be some action as to how others outside of the Arcobaleno would compare to them. Because fighting prowess is not as straightforward as some might think. A bit of example. Li Jie and Viper. You want the fastest result, who would you choose Pokemon style? If it's an army, you toss Viper to them because Mist is more wide area effect. You can't really say which one is stronger because their fighting styles had been tailored to their needs and profession so different strengths, different weak points.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I appreciate your reviews, I always look forward to it and what you think of my story. ENJOY. This is an especially long one.**

* * *

Viper snuck into the Varia headquarters through the window of the Mist Officer's- Mammon's- their room before proceeding to strip it of every and all notable records -written or otherwise.

There were albums and journals and files (that they would have to figure out later) and videos (_fascinating _that the world might've finally caught up, even just a little bit, to Delta's genius) stocked in carefully placed pocket dimensions in corners that would've gone unnoticed even under a close inspection. Blackmails, trivias, miscellaneous data -a whole treasure trove of things to hold over other people disguised as the blandest room.

But what they were really there for was the stack of around four, maybe five, hundred notebooks bound together and anchored in the underside of the bathroom door by the hinges.

It seemed that even after so much time, they would've still been able to stay faithful to their documenting habits.

Viper was relieved. A hiss had them looking up to Phantasma.

"...mou, little one, I did not mean to forget you earlier."

They blinked when he inclined his head to them as if to say 'I forgive you'.

...that he understood them was not an unpleasant surprise, just... surprising. They picked him up, setting him on their head with a smile.

Their ears perked up when voices filtered through the door. Viper tensed (for reasons other than the possibility of being caught).

"...can you do something for me, Phantasma?"

A twist of Mist Flames -feeling like wrangling an elephant while pincers dug in their insides- and they emerged from the shadows in front of a patiently waiting Shamal, alone.

They'd found that as the hours whittled down, the more painful and harder it was becoming to pull on their Flames -like a too tired limb. But it wasn't like they had a choice.

They could fight physically -disgraceful, but desperate times and all that- if push comes to shove, but they were traveling with another Mist -a doctor, a stranger, a danger- and they'd rather not give him any ideas.

And even under his knowing looks -no one else would know better of their exact state than him- they had their pride to keep.  
_

A few hundred years ago, when Vongola (it was always the Vongola, wasn't it?) had gone under Secondo's control and went on a nosedive from a vigilante group to a criminal organization, the CEDEF hadn't just taken it lying down.

There were two factions: those loyal to the Vongola, and those loyal to the _idea _of the Vongola.

It was an oddly peaceful and quite separation. One part went along with Ricardo and the other went on to continue their job and was eventually assimilated to the Government and came to be known as the Constables.

They were the Flame wielding versions of the police -whereas the Vindice governed the transgressions against the use of Flames and everything under that domain, they operated under the laws of the Government.

Except, you know, the underage rule.

As long as you dealt with illegal activities -killing, drug trafficking- you were in their radar. Regardless of age.

(No one knows the penalties and no one remembers -though sometimes someone gets bailed out only to come out as nothing more than a vegetable. It says something that people still prefer them over the Vindicare.)

Illegally crossing borders was, well, illegal.

They'd expected it, and rather than tempting them to shoot down Delta's jet, he'd landed it on one of the pads suspended in the air that had been concealed behind the clouds and Mist Flames.

They stepped out, gearing their selves to talk their way out of this and was greeted by a squadron of men and women dressed in trench coats of varying sizes, colours, and designs. A woman stood in front, with braided blonde hair and wide green eyes, holding up a black badge with the silver engravings of a handcuff and a bold C on it.

A man blinked at them over her shoulder, a flash of bemusement in his eyes.

"Constable Müller. You're being arrested for violation of-"

Though sounding rather bored, her words were no less firm before being cut off by the redhead behind her snapping his fingers in realization and drawing everyone's attention.

"Wait, wait, wait. Ma'am, look, I think..."

She shot him an annoyed look, but did let him lean in closer to whisper to her. They shared looks, tossing occasional glances to Delta and the other's way.

The girl frowned before shamelessly scrutinizing them.

"... indeed, you're right Ryan."

'Ryan' muttered a triumphant "see, I knew it, no way I'll forget her." and offered them a lazy salute. Müller dispersed the people behind her and briskly approached them with the man.

"Miss Lal Mirch." He nodded to her, "You should've said something, I apologize for this."

Saanvi definitely wouldn't know these people. Delta knew she didn't.

She crossed her arms, cocked a hip, raised an unimpressed eyebrow, and grunted as if she did.

"Still, what happened? How did you become like this?" He looked towards the scientist curiously.

Delta pushed his glasses up, "Project of mine."

Neither looked surprised.

"Is grandpa Fon in the same state?" the woman asked.

"Yes. Speaking of, we do need to get going."

Müller eyed their jet, "You can leave anytime. Unlike your Sun, Cloud, and Storm, you're neutral entities and a fine wouldn't be an issue would it? Just wire it to us as soon as possible and we can let you go with just a warning if it's that urgent."

"It is. Thanks for your consideration," Alford grinned.

"Hey, Colonnello, you'd be able to handle a couple shots now, yeah?" Ryan ribbed.

"Yeah, sure. We can finally see who can hold more." He retorted.

Saanvi turned back to their jet, all business. Ryan scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"Ah, well, don't let us keep you. Just get me on the line whenever you think you're ready."

Alford waved him off over his shoulder, trailing after Saanvi. Delta gave a brief glance to the cell phone peeking out from Müller's pocket with the inscribed green delta symbol before doing the same.

Ryan waved at them. They took off.

Inside, they exchanged glances.

They would have to get used to strangers knowing them. They didn't have the full scope of their circumstances and wouldn't know if it'd be wise to let people not already in on it to know about the alleged memory lost. Wouldn't know the nature of their relationships with others -wouldn't know between friends or foe.

Until then, interactions like this had to be cut short.

"That girl didn't look anything like Li Jie." Alford went ahead and said.

"He had a sister." no one made mention that it was said in the past tense.

"Yes, but his sister looks like him." Saanvi reminded them.

Delta shrugged, "There should at least be two generations between them."

Saanvi stretched a hand to Alford and he tossed her a cup noodles. She proceeded to puzzle over it while Alford continued with his stretches. She herself already finished hers five times over.

Delta rolled his eyes at them.

Why couldn't they stay still for at least a few hours more? The jet wasn't that big and they were making _him _twitchy.

He was on the computer, exploring the new era they were in with just the single contraption. And because he was unfairly brilliant, he'd managed to master hacking overnight and was poking at everything he could get his hands on -satellites, CCTV, national files, Constable files, other notable organisations' files, a highschooler's research project, etc.

_Everything._

Tracing the activities the Arcobaleno had a hand in in the entire last century now that he'd confirmed that there actually _were _activities (that there actually were people moving under their...well, he couldn't say name since they neither carried their name or form). Which was no easy feat, because they covered their trails well. Verde covered their trails well.

It was a challenge he hadn't come upon since... A very long time.

His lips twitched.

He expected nothing less of his alter ego.

"... stop that, Delta. You're scaring us."

He immediately erased all traces of his eager anticipation from the surface.  
_

"You're going back to the Vindicare."

The other three had woken up to find Tsuna and Mukuro having breakfast with them before announcing their next course of action.

"Yeah, and this time, alone." Tsuna confirmed weakly.

Everyone was frowning, even Kyoya who was in the other room.

"Why? what happened Tsuna?"

It was Mukuro who answered. "Tsunayoshi mentioned the amnesia, then they told him to come back later before slamming the door in our faces."

They glanced at each other. Tsuna was relieved no one questioned him further.

"...right, well, Kozarto has Reborn-san, Fon-san, and Skull-san with him and the ice bitch-"

Kyoya stood up, dressed in some of Ryohei's clothes that now that he wore them while emitting such a terrifying aura, the Vongola Decimo couldn't imagine being on the sunnier upper class man ever again.

"Where?" He demanded.

Hayato looked towards Tsuna.

He didn't look to his Cloud, "What about the school Hayato? I mean, was that really necessary? It's not like they're going to hunt us down or something right?"

...right?

Takeshi glanced between Kyoya and Tsuna nervously. Mukuro watched with twitching lips and rising amusement. Ryohei turned off the tap, wiping down his hands on his shorts.

After a pause, Hayato answered, "... I don't see why they would bother. But, um, this was actually a contingency Reborn-san told me to employ in case he was somehow inaccessible."

That secured everyone's attention.

Except for Kyoya.

Tsuna angled his body to the side and a tonfa made a home in the wall behind him.

"You refuse to tell us anything about how you got like that. You're not going after Fon-san."

A low growl emitted deep in the Hibari's throat.

* * *

**Unedited**


	14. Chapter 14

**I appreciate reviews -I look forward to them and they make my day- and tell me if things are going too fast or too slow. And also, if there are characters you want to see the POV of, you're welcome to suggest (Dino, Fran, Basil, etc.).**

**Again, please don't be surprised when I update more than one chapter a day or then not update for a whole week.**  
**_**

'Untouched by time and space.'

Better than most, Byakuran knew what the phrase exactly meant when concerning the Arcobaleno.

A lot of Byakurans of the other dimensions had been sacrificed just in the initial probing, when he'd been testing the waters and figuring out an algorithm -if you would- of their weaknesses and strengths and none of those counterparts had wasted the chance.

No matter the world, no matter even when Tsunayoshi was female, or if Yuni was male, or if Chrome had been born four hundred years too early, the Arcobaleno will always be the same Arcobaleno. Perhaps their stories different, but it was always the same people.

And he wasn't talking about just the most recent Arcobaleno.

Every set that had ever been, including the now Vindice.

It was just the nature of the Arcobaleno curse.

In other words, every single time, eventually they are betrayed by Luce -in one form or another.

Byakuran licked the sugar from his fingers, legs folded under him in his seat in the plane (ooooh, Gamma was _so_ going to be pissed but to be fair, it wasn't like Yuni didn't already know what he was going to do when she told him t_o not _go- and it warmed him that it wasn't just because she Saw and because she knew him so well).

And always, always, her reason was the same.

This bit made them utterly, _dreadfully_, predictable, and so wonderfully arbitrary at the same time.

Because as much as they didn't age, didn't change, didn't bend under the hail of time, 'untouched by time and space', wasn't an entirely accurate narration.

Because when you place a rock in a running river, though the water did not change, it cut itself and moulded around the obstruction.

(The Arcobaleno curse only kept their host unchanging. It did not account for the rest of the world.)

(And wherever Renato was, chaos always seemed to follow. And where chaos was, well, Byakuran always seemed to follow -or preceed because the guy was practically an omen of things to come.)

(And poor Tsunayoshi will never quite know which of those three was the worst.)  
_

When Renato had finally brought himself to tell Li Jie and Skull, he'd expected certain things from the two most volatile elements. In fact, the things he'd been expecting was what had him hesitating to tell them so soon in the first place (among other things).

He could handle a rampaging Skull on his own. A wild Li Jie is... He was confident he could get out of it alive, if not in one piece.

A wild Skull and a wild Li Jie.

As long as he could get a headshot in Skull, the guy would be down but it wasn't like he could do the same for Li Jie who didn't have Cloud Flames making him nigh unkillable. And also, he'd be crushed by the Chinese in close combat with or without Storm Flames and there wasn't much area in the remote grounds he found to be able to play keep away from the unfairly fast Storm.

So yes, he _was _a bit thankful that there was no combat that took place.

But he was also more unnerved by it.

The two... took it well. As well as he did, in fact.

In other words, they acknowledged its existence before shoving it somewhere dark and refusing to look at it closer ever again by repeating excuses to themselves like 'not right now, not yet,' or 'later when the timing is better'.

And he hadn't even told them about Luce's maybe-betrayal yet (if it would make thing better or worse though...).

Because Skull barely knew a lick of Japanese, the job opportunities had been greatly narrowed. In contrast, Renato and Li's operation was doing worlds better.

A _lot _better.

He winced when a man impacted against the wall so hard the wall didn't break and he went splat everywhere. Dead.

Definitely dead.

And Li Jie still had his perpetual smile glued to his face.

Finishing the last man with a shot a bit to the side of his neck (a very painful way to die, and just so you know, Renato didn't miss -this was also his first opportunity to vent after all) and then he hauled the younger man out of the warehouse (how stereotypical) and onto the next one on the list.

Where was Alford when you needed him? Or Saanvi. Heck, he'd take _Delta _if it meant having someone who had an idea on how to _fix _people.

(Or Luce, she was very good with fixing the- Fuck! Shut it you!)

For now, the best he could do was to help them distract themselves and- oh fuck!

...fuck.

His stopped in the middle of the streets, gaze on a snake plushie in one of those arcade claw thing.

Viper was most likely alone. The other three would've gathered together. Delta was the most likely who'd know about Luce's death and would come here undoubtedly...

But Viper was alone.

And an unsupervised Viper always managed to get themselves into things that they shouldn't be getting into much less touching or holding or seeing. They had no concept of 'leaving things alone' and the phrase 'ignorance is bliss' was unheard for them.

They'd probably already found out more than Renato himself knew.

... it didn't comfort him.

The kid was too good with their job in his opinion.

Well, there was nothing more to it.

"Hey Li Jie, want to get that for Viper?"

Predictably, he visibly softened before straightening and heading towards it himself.

Renato raked a hand through his hair, sighing.

After they get that house and a semi-permanent adress, he'd get to the current Sky Arcobaleno (Luce's granddaughter, Aria's daughter) to see if she could shine light to things he'd rather not be in the dark of.

(Things he didn't know if he wanted to stay in the dark from).  
_

Tsuna hadn't wanted to upset Kyoya.

He really, really, didn't.

But...

He couldn't let it continue. Couldn't let Kyoya go charging in so recklessly.

Maybe it worked against others, but they didn't know why, exactly, Fon had done what he did to Kyoya and they'd rather not risk a second act. And the prefect didn't seem like he was going to fess up anytime soon.

Though by this point in time, Tsuna had the sneaking suspicion that Kyoya _might _have brought this onto himself.

He still felt guilty for leaving the other three with the fuming Hibari, though... Better them than him?

"Fufu... I leave you here now then Decimo."

Tsuna startled. He'd expected the elusive Mist to depart immediately after dropping him back on the Vindicare mountain -now weighed down by the warmest clothes they could find.

"Oh, yeah, thanks, Mukuro-kun."

The mis-matched pair of eyes bored into him.

"I sent Ken, Chikusa, and M.M to Chrome."

Tsuna smiled, "Thanks. Maman and the others will be as safe as they could get right now then."

Something flashed in those eyes and then Mukuro smiled.

"... you better finish what you started Tsunayoshi."

He tilted his head, "...with the Vindice?"

"With your Cloud, of course." He turned and ambled away, "Who would follow a man who can't keep to his words."

Words...

_...You refuse to tell us anything about how you got like that. You're not going after Fon-san._

Oh that.

...this wasn't the first time Tsuna felt as if Mukuro was testing him (reassuring himself, his Knowing told him) and this wouldn't be the last time Tsuna was going to rise to the challenge.

Mukuro disappeared.

...Tsuna gulped. This would be the first time he'd be alone since this whole thing with Reborn began.

This would be the first time he decided something with the weight of his family on his shoulders without Reborn by his side.

(It was scary and it was in times like this that he realized he really had changed.)

His footsteps sank into the snow only to disappear a moment after, washed by the freezing wind.

"Get in, Vongola Decimo."

* * *

**Unedited**


	15. Chapter 15

Hayato couldn't sit still.

The Vindice were as dangerous as one could get -generations of the most powerful and most spiteful of their era- and Tsuna, his boss, his Sky, his Home, was in the proverbial nest.

He was just about to have an anxiety attack.

And the heavy cloud of simmering frustration oozing from the prefect was helping no one -least of all him because _he _was the one who knew where Fon was.

... Hayato wanted to come with Tsuna for more reasons than keeping him safe.

Takeshi the bastard had gone to check on his father. Ryohei had crashed in his sister's room.

He gasped a silent scream when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Fumbling a bit with it, he checked the number.

Unknown.

_"VOOOOOOOOOOIIIII!"_

Hayato ripped the device from his ear, closing his eyes and groaning.

Why them? Why, of all the people in the world, did it have to be them?

He understood why it wouldn't be the Bronco. Dino wasn't under Vongola. He was the Boss of his own family and the Nono couldn't just order him around. But what about CEDEF? Tsuna's father would be busy yes, but how about Basil?

Literally anyone but them.

But instructions were instructions, especially instructions to keep the Family and his Boss safe, so Hayato hovered the phone near his mouth and didn't bother with the loudspeaker.

"Squalo-san then. What's the code?" He demanded gruffly. Better get this done faster.

_"...The shitty what?!"_

"The code Squalo-san, that Nono gave you to prove-"

There was a scuffle from the other side but he wasn't paying attention. His wandering gaze had stopped on the stairs.

The stairs leading to the second floor where Ryohei's room was with the balcony and the only way to get to the roof.

Kyoya Hibari. Varia.

Varia. Kyoya Hibari.

...maybe if it had been anyone else, Hayato _might _feel guilty.

But as it was, as the saying goes, 'better them than him'.  
_

Tsuna was only distantly aware that he was shivering even under Hayato's carefully prepared winter set.

The Vindicare halls weren't actually halls. Made of a dark material almost like onyx-marble, it was closed off from the winter outside but he thought it was even colder inside and there were no doors, no passageways connecting the halls. Jaeger led him through blackholes, giving the macabre parody of a tour.

Why? Tsuna didn't know. But he was having a hard time keeping his eyes from the cells. Only a few of them were aware enough to make barely audible grunts. And there were a lot of ice.

He shuddered.

"Bermuda-san, where are we going?"

The pause after that was as frigid as the air.

"There is only one thing more important to us than upholding our laws."

"..."

"Our vengeance."

Tsuna knew that. It was literally what had kept them alive through the centuries. The unadulterated hate they produced in lieu of the traditional Flames. The Night flames.

"Vindicare was originally more a means to an end. An authority that would make the rest of the world give way to us. Checkerface was old, slippery, and powerful. We would need everything we have to achieve our revenge and there comes the Night Flames." He said over his shoulder.

They stopped.

Tsuna was now in a dark room, with no doors or windows whatsoever and outnumbered.

He felt more than heard Bermuda land in front of him and Tsuna bent his head.

"Night Flames did not come as an accident." Light exploded behind his retina and he cringed, hands shooting up and Flames on the verge of igniting.

Then he realized they just turned on the lights.

The whole room -as large as the gym in his school- was bathed in it and there wasn't a single darkened corner. He couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. The walls -a patchwork of wood and metal- had papers stuck to them and desks were littered with unfamiliar paraphernalia

One wall in particular stood out, plastered with paper that stretched from one corner to the other, brown with age and though the ink on it had faded and blurred in some places, was still distinct enough for him to realise that it was written in different languages, scribbles here and there.

The illustration of seven pacifiers painted in different colours was the centre piece.

"No one knows the Arcobaleno curse and the pacifiers itself better than us, even more so now that they are under our care. We have a standing theory as to the reason for the difference of the effects of the unravelling of the curse between us, the Vindice, and your Ultimo Arcobaleno."

He patiently waited for Bermuda to ease him into the point.

"But even after the centuries we had, there are still a large part of the Arcobaleno curse that are still... unclear to us. Certain purpose and functions, you can say. The effects on your Ultimo Arcobaleno are a point of interest for us. We need as much information about everything related to Arcobaleno. By some reverse engineering, I am planning to completely break the curse from us," Tsuna opened his mouth in alarm, "_without _causing any distortion in the balance, of course."

"... completely break the curse? But wouldn't that-?"

Tsuna gazed back into the abyss.

"Tell me Tsunayoshi Sawada, would you want to be a Vindice? Is this a life where you can see anyone to grow content?"

Jaeger shifted his body away.

"Night Flames are powered by hate, yes. But one can only hate so much before you eventually, inevitably, grow tired, so we had to seek a more... permanent solution to keep producing Night Flames. And we succeeded."

Bermuda smiled lightly under the brim of his hat.

"And now we want to sleep again."

...That must've been the most Tsuna heard Bermuda speak.

(And that must've been the saddest smile he'd ever seen).  
_

"Hey, San, Del, wait a minute!"

Alford was having a bit of trouble shoving his way through the crowd. One part because he was also gawking at everything and another because the other two had pushed their things on him.

Saanvi didn't seem like it, but she had no qualms using the 'girl' card to make others carry her things.

Delta had made use of a private landing pad some airport had and with a bit of Mist Flames from Saanvi, they left no traces. The Lightning informed them that there was one in Japan that he probably owned with the coordinates downloaded into the system of the jet, but was too far from where the others were for them to bother with.

"Seriously guys, wait a second!"

Japan was a lot prettier than the last time he'd been here.


	16. Chapter 16

**Guest Chapter 12, April 10 2019.**  
**I'll take your comment -and Guest chapter 4 April 5 too- as a request for Kyoya. No offense taken, thank you very much for taking the time to tell me. Fortunately, for you, I already had this lined up. **  
**Welcome one of our favourite Cloud: Kyoya Hibari!**

**(Because I just can't choose between him and Skull anyways...)**

**It's very short but I hope this will satisfy you Kyoya fans out there (and buy me more time in the meantime).**

**Oh, and could someone tell me how Kusakabe refers to him because I can't seem to remember. I'll change it immediately.**  
**_**

What care did Hibari Kyoya have for the intricacies of the curse that had plagued his grandfather for the longest time?

All he knew, was that the carnivore was standing in his adult form in the back porch and that he didn't get to fight him that day months ago.

So Kyoya pounced, tonfa at the ready for a swipe, body settling in those opening steps of that dance that had long since been ingrained in him before he even knew how to speak in full sentences, fully expecting the other man to give him his trademark amused smile as they steadily increase the tempo and diverge into the more feral style Kyoya preferred -because Fon always indulged.

The assassin turned and their gazes crossed.

Foreign.

Stranger.

Kyoya was mid-leap. Too late to put more force in his swing.

(Too soon to retreat.)

"-I'll get to it immediately, Taichou."

Kusakabe's voice filtering through the lightest static of his phone broke his brief -very brief- revery and the Namimori Disciplinary Comittee president snapped his phone close with a loud click.

Pocketing it, he watched the clouds drift by with the same intensity he might've had for the grounds of his school.

Kusakabe would maintain the peace. Or else.

The Sasagawa residence had two floors and he was high enough that the wind ruffled his hair and the clothes he wore billowed.

A certain cloud was in the vague shape of a lion (not really) and immediately brought to mind the impudent herbivore who'd dared to _stop him._

His hand twitched and everything in him bristled (and a little bit - just a little bit- of him _preened)._

As if he could.

A flutter of wings made him look down, his gaze softening for the yellow bird on his knee.

_"Midori tanabiku namimori no_  
_Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii_  
_Itsumo kawaranu_  
_Sukoyaka kenage_  
_Aah, tom-"_

Bang!

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIII! ALL YOU FUCKING BRATS IN THE HOUSE GET DOWN HERE!"

...Kyoya pulled his tonfas out and dropped on the balcony, freeing Hibird of the responsibility of entertaining him.

Someone was here to do that for her.  
_

Adelheid opened the door, a hand over where her fan was under her clothes.

... "Hi, my name is Alford, this is Saanvi, and Delta, we're here for our friend. Skull?" His gaze flitted up to the ceiling, as if seeing through to the floor above.

She dropped her hand to her side. Saanvi followed it with her eyes.

"... Indeed. Come in." she stepped aside to let the three in.

"Thank you, sorry to intrude."

"I'm Adelheid. Skull-san is asleep, Renato-san and Li Jie-san are still out but I can call them to come back if you want." she offered, pointing them to the living room.

"That'd be great. Thank you." Saanvi told her, nodding at her respectfully as she walked into the younger girl's abode.

The three settled to wait and Adelheid climbed the stairs to wake both Skull and Enma.  
_

Mammon was small. Like, Shamal was pretty sure they were teenager small.

And to think so much power and _pride _could be shoved into something so small.

He sighed exasperatedly when a woman bent into herself (blood and guts and all that). He hissed in frustration.

Jogging to catch up with the shorter person (and that made him think of a gremlin), he sidled up to them but did maintain a distance, "_Really, _as the one currently responsible for your life, I can't allow you to continue this. I understand your wariness of me, but I can't understand why going this extra mile is necessary."

Some Constables had stumbled onto them, realized who Shamal was, gave chase, and it was the worst decision they could've ever made. Their deaths weren't quick. Or painless.

Or clean, for that matter.

Mammon halted in their tracks. He did the same.

There was silence where Shamal waited patiently.

Then they screamed -and Shamal startled to hear the heartbreaking frustration and grief and confusion in it.

...He was taught to deal with something like this, right?

Mammon panted. Then they straightened and resumed with plowing with the maybe-still-alive-but-probably-not bodies.

... One and a half day.

Their Sky was dead, their circle of friends (if they had one outside of the Arcobaleno which Shamal couldn't imagine why they _wouldn't) _dead or in the elderly house, the whole society topsy turvy -they mentioned some things that had his mind jumping to somewhere around WW1-, their memories lost, their comfort zone lost, their... pretty much everything lost. Humans were humans.

Humans get attached.

And humans hurt.

And humans snap.

They'd probably been keeping it to themselves, and on the first show of hostility, their restraint broke, everything flooding out.

Shamal settled himself by a rock, sighing. A lot of people would disagree that he should stop them, that this wasn't a healthy way to cope. But... yeah, they were right.

But sometimes, some people in this walk of life could only bring themselves to cope this way.

And even if it meant slowly killing ones selves... He knew from experience that bottling it up could do the same.

Besides, Shamal was with them. There wasn't much documentation or study performed on Discord, at least not ones that had been passed down, but Shamal, at the very least could slow it down -the very purpose of the Ft pills he'd finished last night, weighing his pocket.

He was going to bring this person back to Reborn, alive (he owed him that at least, even if the man wouldn't remember).

Especially since Mammon the Miser might actually be the Family baby and there were stories, accounts, records, and studies about basic Family dynamics: families typically went berserk when it was the 'babies' that were targeted.

(It was so like the Arcobaleno, to misdirect the world -never really what they seem).

And with the whole 'dead and traitor Sky and currently going through discord resulting in heightened awareness of each other', Shamal couldn't see why -or how- they would be in a stable mentality.


	17. Chapter 17

**You know, I think I started this as some kind of drabble fic but then got too into it and now I need to go back to draableish fic.**

**Tell me what you think. I really need an assurance if I'm going too fast or too slow with this. **

**ilovecartoonsgirl: Yeah. I think I said this before -but then again maybe not?- but their actions now, are **_**so **_**going to bite them in the back later on. Also, Li Jie**_** isn't**_** 'okay' with the Constables.**  
**_**

"Guys, this is Enma and Adelheid. Enma and Adelheid, these are guys."

Alford hit him over the head, "Stop fooling around brat!"

They didn't do hugs, didn't do pats on the back, and heaven forbid they bawled their eyes out as their bond -so sensitive to everything and anything lately- breathed a sigh of relief.

Skull squawked in indignation, "Why you-?! Calling me brat so cockily- You're only a few centimetres older than me blonde bimbo!"

He pulled at Skull's collar, "Care to repeat that shortstack!"

"I do actually, _blonde bimbo!" _he shrieked in his face.

Saanvi drop kicked the pair. Delta stepped forward, a half hearted attempt to shield the boy and girl from the violence behind him.

"I apologize for this shameful display. Enma-kun, I am Delta, the woman is Saanvi, and that's Alford. Which of you do I address?"

"Enma is the Simon boss." Adelheid said.

Enma cleared his throat, giving a brief glance to where his friend was splayed on top of Colon- Alford.

"I hope they didn't cause too much trouble?"

"No, no. Skull is my friend. I just did what any friend would-!" Adel nudged him, "-that is, as an ally of the Simon family, it was my obligation to lend a hand to him in his need."  
_

"... you... you want me to _spy _on the Arcobaleno? _Why?"_

'Spy' was such a negative term. But Bermuda didn't correct him.

"I am not asking you to tell me their darkest secrets," he said dryly, sweeping aside pencils and papers, eyes scanning the table, "Only the changes in them. The amnesia, for example. Any other discrepancies."

"Why?" Tsuna repeated, watching him shuffle around things. Jaeger had left them earlier, because Vindicare didn't run itself.

Bermuda had always been the 'bogeyman of the boogeymen' to Tsuna. _Reborn _was wary of him and that pretty much translated to him that he better steer clear away from anything even remotely connected to the guy.

(And now look where he was.)

Watching him kneel on his little kid knees and scrutinizing the papers while scowling with his little kid frown, with his comically (not that Tsuna had thought it comical before now) large hat, was...

"Things." was the jailer's dull reply.

Tsuna gave him an equally dull look.

Ah, this familiar feeling... of exhausted frustration... it was an emotion he associated with his mafia associates. Or, you know, exasperated indulgence. Was it an effect of the environment in the Mafia?

Will Tsuna one day come to find himself eliciting the same emotions in other, sane, people?

"What do I get in return?" Because Reborn was apparently very good with indoctrination.

"What did you come here for?"

Tsuna faltered, "Ah, well..." What was it again? "Ah! Their memories, right!"

Bermuda's pause was judging, "...right. So it seems after four successful centuries, the great Vongola empire is nearing its end."

...finally, someone who understood him.

Even if it was depressing.

Bermuda looked at him oddly. "Are you so affected by the Sun Arcobaleno's state that you're now bereft of all your resistance against your insecurities?"

Tsuna blinked, startled, "..w-what?"

"Anyways. I need data to work a theory on what will happen to the Arcobaleno. If they will regain their memories on their own. Or if they'd need an outside party for that to happen. Can you imagine being forgotten by Reborn forever?" He said casually.

Tsuna gulped. Bermuda made a cute aha exclamation (Tsuna shuddered a bit) and held up something to him.

"Listen, Vongola," he said solemnly, "_No one_ knows Arcobaleno like I do. I had the time, the resources, and the drive to unveil its secrets. If you want this _'fixed', _as you put it, I'm the only person who have any hope of doing it. Cooperate with me. Because we need something of each other. That's basic rule of conducting business."

...Tsuna felt foolish. A boy playing a man. A boy playing a mafia boss. He had no idea of the stakes and the things he might be risking.

He only had his Hyperintuition and an almost impulsive urge to... to... make everything better? Even he didn't know what _'better' _was.

He decided to trust it anyways.

"Alright."

Later, he would leave Vindicare, but Bermuda's words would continue playing in the background.

_Are you so affected by the Sun Arcobaleno's state that you're now bereft of all your resistance against your insecurities?_  
_

Viper sighed, rubbing their eyes futiley. Yawning, they finally set aside number 167 of their journal.

_Way _too many things happened in the last century.

Viper had decided to skip 1 (they could still remember writing in it as a child) up to 100 and it was not going as well as they'd hope.

_Way _too many things had been left unwritten.

They reach for another cup of coffee -fast food was _fast _and _cheap _and they loved it- before a hand swatted at them.

"No. Absolutely _not. _You also stayed up late last night and I didn't say a word. I've had enough. You're not going to do it for consecutive days."

Viper scowled at the nosy doctor. "Mind your own business and leave me alone."

He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. Viper snorted.

"I've only known you for a short while and we both know you don't fit the responsible adult role."

"Exactly. And I don't like playing it either so it must say something that I'm putting my foot down. _Go to sleep. _You're literally killing yourself."

Viper sneered at them, but did get up from the couch of the room they rented, actually too tired to be stubborn. They grabbed their book and just resisted the urge to stomp away, muttering a low, "Whatever."

Shamal flatly watched them disappear.

(Definitely a teenager.)


	18. Chapter 18

**merendinoemiliano: thank you for the review -Thank you, all and asunder. As for your 'no yaoi', well, there won't be any sexual scenes here. As in nada.**

**I'm familiar of yaoi, but is yaoi just the sexual scenes or is it boy love itself? I mean, that's shounen ai, right? Is shounen ai gay love between males and yaoi the sexual love between males? Am I getting that right? I'm not entirely clear. Anyways. The ships I ship in this particular fandoms are all straight (sort of, because there's Viper). But I'm still iffy with putting in romance here -though if I do, straight or gay, it will not be a centrepiece because I feel uneasy just thinking of ripping off scenes from other people, like recycling scenes, and I don't have any experience in that department to pull ideas from.**

**...anyways, most **_**likely**_**, there won't be full fledged romance here so sorry for those that were hoping for it.**

**But I can confirm now, that there will at least be some **_**hints **_**of it (more fluff, fluff, fluff,) from my favoured ships.**

* * *

Alford opened the door and greeted Renato with a head slam. The older _-older, _uhuh that's right, he's the _second eldest-_ expected it of course and had braced himself, not moving an inch.

Enma winced. That looked painful.

That _sounded _painful.

Li Jie walked past them, bags in his arms.

"We brought you some clothes. And we've also already processed the papers for a place to stay." He smiled.

"Thanks." Saanvi accepted it gratefully, her other hand gripping Li's forearm shortly before letting go. They hadn't made a stop for clothes, prioritizing food, weapons, and getting here as soon as possible. Asking Adelheid for directions to the restroom and thanking her, the soldier was quick to claim it first.

She could stay in one set of clothes for an entire year if she had to. Didn't mean she _did _if she didn't actually need to.

The martial artist looked at Delta who was dully watching the other two exhibit their manliness. Or something. No one actually knew what exactly they were doing.

Li Jie's lips twitched, remembering Viper refer to it as some kind of courtship. With the 'tension and their desires for each other's lips barely restrained by societal standards'. Or something.

Skull's interpretation was a lot more... raunchy? was it the right word?

(Luce had been in their corner of debate too.)

Well, anyhows, neither opinions were ever spoken within the two's vicinity, that's for sure.

"How did you trace us?"

"Tracker." Obviously.

Li narrowed his eyes, "You don't mean..."

The older man waved his, essentially, homemade tracker. "I mean this. What do you take me for? I'm no idiot. I'm not going to touch that unless I put it through the wringer first."

The abnormalities they were experiencing was no joke. Things concerning one's soul and very essence of existence rarely was.

"Speaking of, please tell me you hadn't used your Flames."

"No. No we haven't."

...It was very rarely that a situation that calls to exert effort to such an extent arises anyways.

Of them, Viper was the only one who used their Flames liberally -But that's more the nature of Mist Flames than an actual need to.

Mist Flames was just so unfairly exploitable. Compared to that, Red Flames was more rigid.

"Right, well, I'm leaving. Verde has a lab here somewhere, I'll see what I can get." the trail he'd been after was a dead end.

If Delta was anyone else, he'd be jumping like Skull when there's an exhibit within his little automobile club. That was how -dare he say- excited he was to get a look into Verde's mind.

"By the way, what's in that?"

"Oh, this," Li Jie raised the paper bag, "something I got for Viper."

"I'll be on my way, then."

Li reached out for the scientist's wrist, glancing a touch over his pulse -just to check, assure himself and all that- then let him go with a smile. Delta walked past the door, slowing down briefly to let Renato squeeze the warmth from his shoulder before proceeding.

Behind him, Alford finally let go. Only to throw himself to Renato again and tackled him to the floor.

"Um, shouldn't we stop them right about now, Skull-san?"

"What?! No! No! This is just getting good!"

(Six out of eight -nine -out of seven.

_Seven._

Out of _seven._)

(Renato swore if Viper didn't get their butt here soon, he was going to sic Li Jie on them, see how they like that.)  
_

"Alright. You already explained to them what's going to happen?"

Hayato shook his head, "Reborn-san only told me about my part."

Squalo clicked his tongue, absently massaging his temple because damn Mammon's trick must've messed up something inside, "Yeah, well long story short, we're in code red right now. Meaning, a Vongola Sky is unprotected."

Ryohei frowned, Hayato puffed up, Takeshi bristled, and Kyoya definitely narrowed his eyes.

Squalo was too preoccupied to relish in it but Belphegor certainly had no such deterrent as he cackled and even Xanxus sneered tauntingly. Fran 'ufufufu'd creepily (reminiscent of another Mist) just to get with the trend.

Even as Levi nursed a bruise on the side of his face, Bel's wrist cramped, and Luss' elbow ached. The Storm shit was still exuding low-key smugness while the Cloud's finally seemed to calm down.

"We-"

"Are too inexperienced to know where and how the attacks would come from, or how to stop it from even so much as grazing your Sky. Vongola are zipping as much lips but there are rats and at least a little bit about this shitty mess is going to get leaked. Bastards are going to grow balls and get it in their head that the Decimo is as vulnerable as he could get. His greatest protection had been Reborn and with the guy gone, _we're_ your compensation to patch holes in the defense. We're babysitting you and you're gonna do _exactly _what we say."

Squalo was more than up to breaking heads with the Vongola brats any other day but he just wanted back in a bed right now, suffering in silence as he resisted the urge to drown his own brain with Rain Flames which, the fact that he even _had_ the urge, was all kinds of _bad_. He was going to get this done quick. He felt like he could use a decade's worth of sleep.

The other Varia smiled darkly, no doubt ready to Lord over the brats. Lussuria in particular was giggling, eyes burning through his shades and making the hair on Ryohei's arms stand.

(Squalo might just feel sorry for the Vongola brat. Just a little bit. Nono had booked the Varia to be in the same floor as him and Xanxus wasn't happy about it.

He couldn't see the younger man -boy- _not _using this mission as an excuse to 'get out of the house'.

Despite himself, the swordsman's lips twitched. Upside with this whole sudden age gap between them due to being iced for eight years, it didn't feel weird to think he was cute.)

"By the way, where the _fuck_ is the brat?"  
_

As expected of the Vongola.

So inefficient and full of gaps.

If they weren't, Mukuro shouldn't even be taking a detour to cull some idiots.

(So he just _happened_ to know exactly where those gaps were, don't look at him like that, it wasn't like he was planning anything _too_ bad. He'd already left _those _behind. Kind of. Well, you know, they're in standby for rain check and... you know.)

He smiled, leaning a bit forward and peering down the edge of some random roof in Kyoto.

Oh well, he'd been rather bored lately anyways. Of course, as was a habit of his lately, he'd gone straight to the Cloud's residence (Oh, his _face _the first time Mukuro popped in his room) to let off some steam -so easy, that boy is- but this issue with the Arcobaleno had pushed that back.

Below him, one of those Constables stiffened, gasping for air that just wouldn't come. She was the last of her group and the teen was taking his time on her.

Shifting his trident to his other hand, Mukuro wriggled his fingers, giggling quietly when the woman jerked around, doing a parody of that dance that's been all the rage in the social media lately. With his chest shaking, the Mist accidentally pulled a bit too hard on the woman's arm and it detached, smacking her in her face and bouncing off to the other side of the alley, the wet 'spack' noise sending shudders down her spine -_yes, _she was still fully conscious and aware.

It only sent him into a bout of laughter.

Mukuro idly mused if he should try out their own 'punishments' on her -he'd seen and gone through quite a bit of them during his brief term in their care before he'd busted himself and the others out.

He decided on it and began with unearthing the memories he had of them.

It wouldn't be hours yet until anyone would be expecting him anyways.

(Since the first moment Chrome utilized her Flames _(__like this, don't pull, call and let it come to you, let it flow but never let it go my darling Chrome, never let it turn and consume you, let your most deepest and deprived fantasies run wild but draw a line and _keep it- it is yours and no one else's, not even mine, never truly-) Mukuro had noticed that the younger girl had a natural inclination for the more subtle.

A perfect contrast to his own dramatic flavour.

(A perfect balance, they were -are- perfect together, _thrum, thrum, his Mist sings when Chrome is in his arms, small and so, so gullible but safe, safe, safe, and that's all that matters for the selfish, cruel boy that she has the unfortunate luck of being Compatible with_-)

But sometimes, more recently rather, specifically with the distance he'd created between them (he knew the mind well, and regretfully, he also knew the mind well enough to realize when a co-dependency is pushing unhealthy to just plain self-destructive and if the latter hadn't been happening to Chrome -_if it had been him instead, if only- _he would've been more than happy to let it be), he'd taken the habit of adapting her techniques in his more wistful moments.)

(Tsuna's blasè acceptance with her tendencies is one of the biggest reason why Mukuro stayed this long -more importantly, why he'd trusted the other boy with her.)

(Mukuro puts on a show for the audience -spreads the fear. Chrome is content to direct a play only for herself.)

* * *

**I'll tell you my OTPs if you manage to guess my favourite character in KHR.**

**(Accepting suggestions for character POV!)**

**(Tell me if I'm going fast or slow because for some reason, I can't read my own work. Like, there's a dense muddy window between us that just keeps me from getting absorbed -or I'm just really bad at writing and this is the same for you guys too- if I don't wait ****_at least _****a couple of weeks before I reread it.)**

**Guest reviewer/s: Thank you for your reviews. I'm touched that you're making the effort even with such problems**.


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